Murmurs
by stella-pegasi
Summary: Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.
1. They

**Title: ****Murmurs**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **K+

**Genre(s): **Action/Adventure, Friendship, Angst, Hurt/Comfort and of course, Whump

**Warnings: **Language, serious injury

**Spoilers: **Story set post-Season Five

**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters

**Word Count: **4,123

**Summary: **Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Notes: **This is a very special story for me.** Hotshow**, a FanFiction reader sent me a wonderful idea several months ago, asking if I would write a story from it. I was flattered that **Hotshow** made this request and quickly agreed to write the story. I just wish I had written it as quickly. Real life and other distractions kept me from completing this as soon as I had wanted. It's a wonderful story idea, which I will post at the conclusion of the story. I am happy to say the story is complete (five chapters), and I will post it over the next several days.

Also, very special thanks to **Sherry57** for her beta and guidance. After she reviewed this, I tweaked it; so any goofs that are left…well, I'm the culprit.

**Hotshow, thank you for your patience and for trusting me with your story idea. I hope you enjoy!**

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Murmurs

_By stella_pegasi_

**Chapter One **_**They**_

John Sheppard slipped along a darkened corridor that meandered through the underbelly of Atlantis. In the decks beneath the soaring spires that gave the city its unique skyline, the maze of corridors connected all seven sections of the city-ship. He could get lost here.

Cool air and quiet surrounded him in this deserted section of the city. What appealed to him about being on a deck, sitting below sea level, was the silence. He needed the silence, that way he could tell when they came for him.

His plan had proceeded flawlessly. Ronon and Teyla were on a mission to Evona and had agreed with his suggestion that they should gate to the planet early in the morning. The Evonans were early risers and preferred to conduct business as the sun rose. They left with Captain Stackhouse's team at 0600 hrs.

Rodney and a science team were gating to PX5-886 to study the newest Ancient outpost found there. Captain Isaacs' squad was assigned protection detail for McKay's science team. Sheppard preferred Isaacs accompany McKay when he or Lorne couldn't. The acerbic scientist didn't easily irritate the easy-going Isaacs and, more importantly, McKay liked him. However, he wanted them to depart a bit later than Rodney had planned. He arranged for Isaacs and his team to have a spot weapon's check by Major Teldy, which would delay them until the control room day shift was on duty.

One team embarked early while Liang was on duty, and one team headed out when Chuck was on duty. Neither gate tech would realize that, while he showed up for both mission departures, he didn't gate off base with either team. It was important that the rest of the expedition did not know where he was. They were in danger and he had to protect them. The enemy was coming for him. His friends would be harmed, if he remained with them.

John Sheppard needed to disappear.

~~oooOooo~~

_His uncharacteristic agitation concerned her. It was not often that she felt nervousness or confusion from him. However, she realized that since he returned from the mission on PX7-668, his behavior had become increasingly erratic. _

_He was strong, stronger than anyone she had interacted with before. One of her continuing disappointments was he that didn't yet understand the power he truly possessed. She was unable to communicate with him the way she desired. Without the power she needed, she could not assist him in learning how to utilize the skills he possessed. _

_For the moment, however, Atlantis was more concerned with his secretive and nervous behavior. Something was very wrong. _

~~oooOooo~~

Sheppard was picking his way through piles of broken furniture, light fixtures, wall panels, and other debris that lined the corridors. The devastation resulted from the flooding that occurred before Atlantis rose from the ocean. He was a considerable distance from the center of Atlantis, beneath the northeast section. There was so much of Atlantis that they had not searched, even after six years of living there. Too many other problems interfered, and they had never taken the time to explore their own backyard. Only a few Marine squads and combat engineers had ventured into these lower levels. That was nearly five years ago when they were searching the base for Wraith during the siege.

He stopped for a moment, his heart racing; he thought he heard a noise. Ducking behind a large pile of debris, he flattened against the wall, his P-14 gripped tightly in his right hand. Thoughts were racing through his head; they couldn't have gotten here already. He held his breath, listening, but there were no other sounds, save the slight creaking of the hull as the city-ship rolled on the ocean's surface. After a few moments, he exhaled, convinced he was alone. He pushed away from the wall, and began to move further down the corridor. Coming to a cross corridor, he paused, pulling a pad from the rucksack he was wearing. He touched the screen and a schematic of the lower levels of the city popped up. He determined his position, and then traced the direction he wanted to go. The quicker he found the key, the better.

~~oooOooo~~

The sun was shining on PX5-886, and Captain Isaacs' team was deployed around the five-story, square stone building that sat in the center of acres of fertile farmland. Various crops were growing in the uniform fields that radiated from the tower. A lane, wide enough for two of the large transport wagons that carried the harvest to pass each other, extended in four directions away the tower.

Isaacs leaned against the doorframe of the large entryway; relaxing in the tranquil location. As he gazed about the fertile valley, his eyes caught the stargate, perched on a rise about a mile away, the bright sun glinting off the blue crystals. He had drifted into a daydream, unaware that Sergeant Powers was speaking to him.

"Sir?"

He jumped, "Sorry; I was lost in the corn, or whatever that stuff is. What were you asking, sergeant?"

"Didn't mean to disturb you, sir, but I was just wondering if this outpost is typical of the Ancient outpost, sir. I mean...I've heard stories, sir; sometimes these outposts are not what they seem."

Isaacs smiled. Sergeant Powers was new to Atlantis, and like most newbies, he was nervous on off-world missions. He had joined the SGC after the Ori had been defeated. His exposure to danger had been considerably less than the most seasoned of them had experienced.

"You got that right, Powers. These outposts are not what they seem at times. This one, for instance, really looks like a native structure. SGA-11 noticed a faint energy reading coming from it. When they investigated, they found Ancient equipment inside; most of the floors are single labs. Looks like some kind of agriculture research station, except for the top floor; Dr. McKay believes has another purpose. Unless there is something sinister on that floor, we should be pretty safe."

Isaacs closely observed Powers' eyes as he spoke. The young sergeant eyes widened at the word 'sinister'. However, he recouped quickly, nodding to his team leader. Isaacs wasn't worried; in a short time, Powers would be taking off-world missions in stride. The captain relaxed against the doorframe once more, but jerked to attention when he heard a loud shout behind him.

"You idiot, where the hell did you get your PhD, a Cracker Jack box? Get out of my way, I'll do this."

Isaacs pivoted around at the sound of Dr. McKay's voice. Breathing deeply, he walked into the cool first level and found McKay sitting at a console along the far wall, muttering to himself. A couple of agronomists, who had accompanied them, were standing a few feet away; both appeared stunned. Isaacs jerked his head to the right, indicating for the two to get lost. Sheppard had sent him with McKay for a reason, and it was now time to earn his pay.

Casually, he approached the scientist, "Hey, doc, how's it going?"

McKay dropped his head, "How's it going? Well, that is so very original. It's going hunky-dory, captain. How the hell do you think it's going with these 'rent-a-geeks' that the SGC passes off as scientists?"

"Well, I'm no scientist, but anything I can do for you?"

McKay's head jerked toward the captain, his face ruddy, his mouth open to speak. Isaacs wasn't certain whether it was the charming smile he plastered on his face, or the P-90 laying across his chest that stopped McKay. Whatever it was, McKay gave him a quick shake of the head no, turning back to the console.

One of the scientists, who had slinked away, slipped up behind Isaacs and whispered, "Captain, is he ok?"

"Yeah, why?'

"Well, he was fine, even jovial, for a while; then he started getting antsy, agitated over the small stuff."

Isaacs grinned, cocking his head, "And your point is, doctor?"

The agronomist looked perplexed for a moment, then scoffed, "Yeah, right. It's just that it was such an abrupt change. McKay usually boils for a while before his whistle goes off. We've determined how long we have before we need to run. This was different."

Isaacs sighed, "I'll keep an eye on him."

~~oooOooo~~

"_Colonel? Colonel, can you hear me?"_

Sheppard was jogging slowly down a long corridor along the outer edge of the northeast pier, heading toward the center of the city. The dark corridor in this section was clear of debris, but he was being cautious; apparently, power was not reaching this level. He had tried to activate the recessed wall lights, but they weren't working. He paused as he felt Atlantis reaching out for him.

"Yeah, I hear you."

"_I am puzzled, colonel. What are you searching for in this area? Perhaps, I can assist you."_

"Can't tell you; you'd be in danger."

"_Danger, what kind of danger; what do you mean?"_

"I told you; I can't tell you. I have to do this alone; I can't let anyone help. If anyone knows, they'd be in danger."

_Atlantis paused, processing the conversation. She rarely used his first name when speaking to him. Her programming protocol indicated that she should use terms of respect for her afflatus, her main connector among the city dwellers. However, her programming also allowed for growth of her abilities. The more she assimilated, the more she understood. The first city dwellers were passionate, intelligent humans, but their analytical minds and insatiable quest for knowledge dampened their emotions. That was not true regarding her new companions. These humans were intelligent, and analytical with the same desire to learn and explore. The difference was the new ones had not learned to sequester their emotions. Even those who hid their feelings from the others, as the colonel did, felt deep emotion. As she interacted with him, and he interacted with others, she learned. She understood and reacted to the emotions, he and the others exhibited. Now, she was sensing that he was not in control, and she needed to discover why._

"_I am not in danger, John. Allow me to help you, let me know what is concerning you."_

"No, you can't help; they will harm you, as well. Don't talk to me, I can't listen to you. They are coming and I have to hide to protect everyone. I have to be ready, but I have to find the key. Don't talk to me, it's too dangerous."

He continued down the corridor, heading toward the staircase that led to the deepest depths of the city. He was headed toward the star drive complex.

_She followed._

~~oooOooo~~

"Chuck, got a minute?"

Sergeant Chuck Campbell, senior control room technician, turned toward the console behind him, where engineering tech, Eva Mason, was monitoring the operations console. "What's up, Eva."

"Come look at this; I'm getting some funky reading from the northeast section."

"What kind of 'funk' are we talking about?" Chuck quipped, as he joined her at her station.

She smiled back, "Weird funk, you know that sensors are intermittent at best in that area. Because of that, I keep an eye on those areas, who knows what evil lurks." She made a scary face at Chuck. "Sometimes, someone might be in the area with a radio or a scanner or something. If so, I'll get ping back registering a power spike."

"You just got a reading?"

"Yeah, I've had two really minor blips in the last hour and a half. Both in the northeast section but ways apart, do we have any teams in that area?"

"Nothing on my logs for today, let me contact Zelenka and Lorne; see if they've sent anyone there."

Chuck contacted the two men and discovered neither had deployed teams into the area. He instructed Eva to continue to monitor the area and keep him updated. He then headed for Woolsey's office to notify the director of Eva's observations. He had learned that Woolsey didn't like to be surprised, so he told him everything.

"So, no idea what could have caused the minute power readings?" Woolsey asked after Chuck briefed him.

"No, sir; could be anything. Many of the power conduits in those areas are damaged. Several of the lowest levels of Atlantis are compromised due to the flooding that occurred when we first arrived. Dr. Zelenka developed a repair plan a long time ago, but the city's a big place. Repairs, considering the hundreds of miles of minor power conduits, take a considerable amount of time. The Replicators had begun that work when they took the city, and the Ancients had also repaired some of it before they were killed, but there's a lot left."

"Well, keep me informed. I have learned not to dismiss anything around here."

Chuck grinned, "Wise move, sir; I right there with you."

~~oooOooo~~

Captain Isaacs was beginning to share the scientists' concerns about Dr. McKay. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but something was wrong. His team had accompanied McKay on several missions, especially when Colonel Sheppard was laid up after an injury. He had gotten to know the science director pretty well, and he had grown to respect him. He was well aware that McKay was a lot braver than he appeared, braver than he thought himself to be. He didn't rattle as easily as he used to on missions. Yet, today, this McKay was skittish as a newborn kitten, but was trying to hide it. Isaacs knew he had to figure out what the cause was before something happened.

He was lounging against an interior wall around mid-day when a group of locals arrived. They carried baskets of food for the Atlantians.

Isaacs approached the locals, wearing his most diplomatic face. A tall woman walking in front of the group spoke, "Greetings; I am Teasa Von. We have brought sustenance for those who are helping us regain the assistance of the ancient hall."

"Thank you, ma'am; that's very kind of you. I'm Captain Isaacs, and I know the entire team will appreciate your kind gesture." He peeked into one of the baskets, "Um, that looks good, ma'am."

She smiled, "Our thanks, captain; may we lay out the food on the table there?" She pointed to a long narrow table against the east wall.

"Of course, please," he motioned for Von to proceed. As she and the others began to he tapped his com and broadcast to his team and the scientists that lunch had arrived. He anticipated McKay's reaction; the scientist would arrive quickly, excited about the food. He was wrong.

McKay had returned to the fifth floor, where the mystery lab was located. Within seconds of the message, he emerged from the transporter, rage on his face.

"What the hell are you thinking, Isaacs? We have work to do here; we don't have time for these…these people to bother us? Get them out of here. I want my people back to work, and I want you to guard us. You're supposed to be keeping us safe, not let these people that we don't know come in here."

"Dr. McKay, I…"

"Don't 'Dr. McKay' me, I'm in charge here…you do what I say."

Isaacs glanced at the villagers, who were stunned at McKay's outburst. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Doctor, please, come with me." He gently clasped the scientist's arm and steered him away from the group. He was surprised by was the instantaneous change in McKay's demeanor. The doctor looked apprehensive, almost frightened; his eyes darting back and forth, not focusing on anything.

"Doc, you OK?"

"Uh…yeah, I'm OK. I thought they were…I don't know why I…uh, did you say there was food here?"

Isaacs gave him a slight smile, "Yeah; these nice folks brought food for us. Let's go get something to eat." While McKay inspected the food, he stepped away to speak to Von.

"Ma'am, sorry, Dr. McKay has been working very hard lately, and he's very tired. My apologies for his outburst."

"Please, not to worry, we are just thankful that we may have the hall working again. Our history tells us that at one time, we were given much information from this hall by the Ancestors. It was information that improved our harvest. We can withstand a little 'difficulty' for the assistance you are giving us. Now we will take our leave; I will send some boys to collect the dishes and baskets. If you return tomorrow, we will bring food once more."

As the villagers left, Isaacs turned to watch Dr. McKay, who had filled his plate and was sitting at a console, quietly eating. There was definitely something wrong. He was going to watch McKay closely for the next couple of hours, then start suggesting they head back to Atlantis. He'd just have to be careful to figure out which McKay showed up. The McKay he knew, or the one that appeared minutes before.

~~oooOooo~~

"Crap; where the hell is it?"

Sheppard was standing in a puddle of shallow, stagnant water in a narrow alcove, muttering to himself. He had finally pried the cover off of the vent located mid-wall. He found nothing stored in the square metal conduit but dust and mold.

He was tired, resisting the urge to slide down the wall to the floor and rest. He had been running for nearly five hours after not sleeping well. The transmissions had been coming more frequently, and he had not slept well for several days, as the duration of the transmissions lengthened.

They were dangerous. They told him if he turned all the Ancient technology over to them, they would spare the lives of the Atlantis residents. He didn't believe them. He knew they were planning to raid Atlantis, steal the Ancient technology, possibly killing them all. The one thing he was certain of was that they couldn't take Atlantis; they didn't have the gene. That was the first thing he had done. If they knew they could possibly acquire the ATA gene, then they would kill everyone. He had taken that option away from them by stealing the ATA serum therapy from the infirmary. Beckett and Keller wouldn't miss the serum for a while, with the Daedalus not due to arrive for two weeks. They would not be inoculating anyone until the new recruits arrived. But he had to find the key. The key was the only way to defeat them.

Sloshing through the ankle deep water, Sheppard made his way toward the stardrive engine room. He was cold; this level of Atlantis sat deep in the cold ocean water. The life support controls that regulated the temperature in these unused lower levels had been shut off to conserve energy. He thought he would be warmer in the stardrive engine room. He had insisted that power not be cut to the star drive, should they need to escape the planet quickly. He entered the large chamber and spotted the auxiliary control cubicle. He silently opened the doors and slipped into the smaller room. It was a warmer and more importantly, dry inside. He found a protected spot to sit, closing his eyes for a moment, unconsciously rubbing the wound on his arm where he had removed the transponder chip. He pulled a powerbar from his vest and had eaten about half of it, when his eyes became heavy from exhaustion. He slumped against the wall and fell asleep.

_She had followed him. The feeling of confusion and frustration that she had learned to sense from the Earthers, coursed through her from her connection with him. She sensed panic, which was not an emotion he often felt. Only when one he cared deeply about was in danger did panic rise in him. However, he never allowed that emotion to the surface. Now he was perilously close to just that, panic. As he slept, she kept watch over him, hoping that he rest would ease his confusion, and hers._

~~oooOooo~~

It was nearly 1600 hours, and Captain Isaacs decided to broach the subject of returning to Atlantis. Nightfall was less than three hours away, and he knew if he started pestering McKay now, they would be leaving in about an hour, perhaps two if the scientist was really immersed in his work. Only Colonel Sheppard could persuade Dr. McKay to move on his timetable; everyone else moved on McKay's.

Isaacs hopped onto the transporter. When the door opened, he found McKay sitting at a console, scrolling through data displayed on a large monitor. He waited to see if McKay heard him; when it was apparent he didn't, Isaacs spoke quietly.

"Doc," he asked but McKay didn't move, "Dr. McKay; I was wondering when you wanted to leave. I know you like to be back on Atlantis in time to get your mission data uploaded before dinner. If you want, I can get everyone ready to go now."

McKay peered over his shoulder; his face dark and angry. "Do I look like I want to leave now? I'm just about to find out who these people are. Now, leave me alone, captain, or I'll have Sheppard bust you to private. Go away; I'll decide when we leave here." He turned back to the monitor, and Isaacs knew he had been dismissed.

As he walked off the transporter on the first floor, he motioned for Sergeant Powers. "Sergeant, Atlantis is expecting us in one to two hours; head to the gate and notify them that we'll possibly be delayed. Let them know that Dr. McKay isn't ready to leave quite yet."

"Yes, sir; be back shortly."

As he watched Powers head down the long road toward the stargate, Isaacs wished that Colonel Sheppard had decided to come on this mission instead of going off world with Teyla and Ronon. Something was decidedly wrong with Dr. McKay, and he feared it would only become worse. He knew he needed to keep close watch over McKay. The colonel expected that.

Two and a half hours later, after McKay had refused again to leave, he decided not to wait any longer. He ordered his team to start helping the agronomists gather their equipment for the trek back to the gate. He transported to the top floor to retrieve Dr. McKay.

When the transporter doors opened, he discovered the lab in total darkness. He flipped on the flashlight attached to his P-90 and began to sweep the room. He was advancing slowly toward the center of the room when he was knocked off his feet by McKay rushing passed him.

"Gotta get away, they know we're here. They're going to kill us."

Isaacs heard the transporter doors close as he swiftly rose from the floor. He ran to the transporter and punched the call button. The transporter returned to him, and he was on the ground floor within seconds.

Lieutenant Riva called out to him, "Captain. Dr. McKay just ran out of here yelling something like, 'they are here; they are after me'."

Rushing out side he found Corporal Danzig, "Which way did he go?" Danzig pointed behind the building, "That way, sir; he was running really fast. Sergeant Powers chased after him."

Isaacs ran around the building with his team on his heels. They found Sergeant Powers standing along the east road, using infrared binoculars in the darkening sky to scan the area. Powers glanced around when he heard them coming.

"Sir, I thought I saw him head this way, but I lost him. He's was running really fast, captain; scared the hell out of me when he just bolted out of door. I stopped when I realized that there was no way to tell which way McKay had gone. Tried to spot his heat signature with the night binoculars, but he's just gone."

Isaacs blew out a deep breath. Dusk had fallen. In the vast fields behind the building, finding McKay without more help would be impossible.

"Powers, double-time it back to the gate, tell Atlantis that Dr. McKay has been exhibiting erratic behavior and had run off into the fields saying someone is trying to kill him. Have them send jumpers. We're going to split up and start walking down the other three roads leading from the building."

Powers acknowledged his orders and immediately headed for the gate. Isaacs motioned to Riva and Danzig, "Move out and stay in radio contact. Dr. McKay couldn't have gotten too far. If we find him, try not to spook him, key your radio twice; we'll use the GPS to locate each other."

Isaacs started walking down the road leading west from the Ancient outpost. He whispered, "Dr. McKay, where the hell are you?"


	2. Found and Lost

**Title: ****Murmurs**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **K+

**Genre(s): **Action/Adventure, Friendship, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, and of course, Whump

**Warnings: **Language, serious injury

**Spoilers: **Story set post-Season Five

**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters

**Word Count: **Chapter 2:4,649

**Summary: **Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

Thanks to **Hotshow** for a wonderful story idea.

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Murmurs

_By stella_pegasi_

**Chapter Two Found and Lost**

Sergeant Powers' message to Atlantis created a flurry of activity. Major Lorne had assembled search teams, who were loading gear into the jumpers. As Richard Woolsey walked into the bay heading for the jumper to speak to him, Lorne was already running his checklist.

Dodging an EMT, who was stuffing more medical supplies into the overhead bins, Woolsey joined Lorne in the cockpit. "You were ready to go, major."

Lorne looked up from the pad he was holding as Woolsey sat down, "Yes, sir, just waiting for Dr. Beckett. I was reviewing the information about the planet's terrain from the last mission report. It's already dark there; they have about the same day/night cycle we do." He shrugged, "McKay could be anywhere in those fields. We'll use the heat sensors, should be able to locate him pretty quick. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised that Colonel Sheppard hasn't already found him."

"Sheppard; I thought Sheppard went off-world with Teyla and Ronon?"

"No, sir; I'm pretty certain he's with McKay."

"Sergeant Powers reported that McKay had been acting erratically all day. I'm surprised that the colonel hadn't cut the mission short and returned earlier."

Before Lorne could reply, they heard Dr. Beckett's Scottish brogue drifting through the bay. Woolsey stood up, "I'll leave you to your rescue, major."

Woolsey had just stepped off the stairs into the control room, as Lorne lowered the first jumper into the gate room. Flight control cleared the ship, now dubbed Rescue One, and Lorne shot through the gate, followed rapidly by two other jumpers.

Sighing, Woolsey headed for his office, hoping that Lorne would return soon with Dr. McKay.

~~oooOooo~~

Sheppard awakened with a start, adrenaline pumping through his body, flooding his senses. Immediately alert, he unconsciously reached out for her, wondering where he was.

"_You are in the star drive auxiliary control room, colonel."_

He had slumped over while sleeping, and he slowly rose upright. He was sore from lying on the hard surface, "I fell asleep."

"_You were extremely exhausted and quite stressed. I hope that you are feeling better now, colonel." She waited expectantly; hoping his mind was clearer. She feared it was not. She could still sense the chaos and confusion clouding his thinking. _

Sheppard leaned against the wall, drawing in a deep breath. "I was certain it was here. I must find it. It's got to be in the northeast section; I need to go back there." He struggled to rise to his feet.

"_The length of your sleep period was inadequate, colonel. You are exhausted, you must rest."_

"No time, I have to find the key."

"_Colonel, what is this key that you are searching for. If you will tell me what you are looking for, perhaps I already know where it is."_

Sheppard became agitated, "No, I can't tell you." His voice was rising. "I told you, they will kill everyone if I tell. Don't ask me again." He rushed from the room, heading toward one of the long intersecting corridors that ran throughout Atlantis.

~~oooOooo~~

The sky was clear, and a small moon was beginning to rise as Lorne exited the stargate. He banked sharply to the right to clear the way for the jumpers following. Tapping on his COM, he called for his CO. "Colonel Sheppard, this is Lorne, any sign of Dr. McKay?"

"Major, this is Isaacs; Colonel Sheppard isn't with us, sir. I believe he went to Evona with Teyla and Ronon. As for Dr. McKay, we haven't found him yet. Danzig thought she had found him, but it turned out to be a deer-like animal. It got spooked and ran, so I don't believe they pose a threat."

"Roger that, captain; I have Dr. Beckett and the med team on board with me. Waters and Salem are landing to deploy ground search teams. Then the jumpers will conduct a grid search for Dr. McKay's energy signal."

"Captain, Dr. Beckett here; can you tell me a bit more about Dr. McKay's behavior today? Sergeant Powers said he had been acting strangely."

"The ag docs, who accompanied him, complained to me that he was acting very weird, short-tempered and irritable, more than usual. He became really agitated when the locals brought us lunch. Then just as quickly, he didn't seem to realize he'd even had an outburst. Later in the afternoon, I went to see if he wanted to leave. He all but threw me out of the lab. Once the sun started to set, I went back to insist that we return to Atlantis. The lab was completely dark; I couldn't see him. I had just turned on my light when he bolted past me; taking the transporter before I could get to him. By the time I got back to the ground floor, he had headed out into the fields. He was yelling that 'they' were here and were after him."

"Did he say who was after him?" Lorne asked.

"No, sir; he didn't."

"Did you see any unusual activity or strangers around?"

No, sir; this is a quiet planet with really nice people, sir. The only strange thing around here today was Dr. McKay."

Beckett answered, "Thank you, laddie; be sure that everyone knows to be easy with him."

"Don't worry, doctor; we'll take care of him, once we find him."

Beckett leaned back in the copilot's seat. "Major, you look troubled. I am certain we will find Dr. McKay."

Lorne glanced over at him, "I'm certain we'll find Dr. McKay, too. It's Colonel Sheppard, who has me worried."

Beckett was stunned, "Why?"

"I'm positive that he told me he was coming on this mission with Dr. McKay; now I find out, he went to Evona. Not like him not to tell me if he has a change of plans. The colonel's pretty laid back, but he never disregards safety protocols."

"Well, I wouldn't be too worried; he must have changed his mind at the last moment. I'm sure he's fine."

Lorne sighed deeply, "Yep; you are probably right. Let's not spend time worrying about the colonel, for the moment; we need to find Dr. McKay."

Over the next forty-five minutes, they spotted several of the deer-like creatures before Lieutenant Salem finally picked up a larger heat signal. To the east, the terrain became hilly and rocky with a narrow, shallow tributary leading to the river, which was about two miles further south. They almost missed the signal.

"How did he get so far away, major? Didn't the lieutenant say that he's nearly four miles from the outpost? I mean; this is Rodney, we're talking about. I know he's in better shape now than he used to be, but covering four miles in about forty-five minutes in the dark doesn't seem possible for him."

"I don't know, doc. I guess he's spooked about something. I'll admit he's running pretty hard; especially, considering it's hard to see where he's going."

Lorne turned his jumper toward the east, landing alongside Salem's jumper. They were next to the boundary of large cultivated field bordered by the rocky terrain. He and Beckett were just coming off the ramp, when Salem rushed up.

"Major, Dr. McKay is hiding under a rock outcropping along the bank. Major Waters is trying to talk to him, but he's not answering. He is moving around a bit though, so he is conscious."

"Come on, doc; I have a feeling you are about to do some negotiating."

The men trailed Salem down the road a few hundred feet, and then down a modest embankment. Lorne observed that a few of the SO's had crossed the tributary, surrounding the rock outcropping. They were flanking the area so that Dr. McKay couldn't escape them. The shelf of rock lay horizontally along the bank, a few feet above the water. In the glow from the flashlights, and the pale moonlight, Lorne could see McKay's lower left leg emerging from under the flat rock.

Once they were along the edge of the stream, Lorne nodded to Beckett, "Go ahead, doc; talk to him."

Beckett took a deep breath before he spoke. "Rodney, it's Carson; I know you're hiding in those rocks. It's OK; I'm here with Major Lorne. We've come to take ya back to Atlantis."

There was no response. After a few minutes, Carson repeated his message and this time, a tenuous voice replied.

"C-Carson…is that you?" McKay sounded frightened; his voice thin and raspy. His breathing was coming in short, shallow gasps.

"Yeah, Rodney, it's me. Come on out now, let's get you home."

"I can't go home; they're waiting for me. They're everywhere, can't you see them? I have to hide."

"Rodney, there no one here or on Atlantis that is going to harm you. You're safe with us. Come on, now; come on out."

No, no, no…I can't; they'll kill me. Go away, leave me here; I'll be safe here. You're the ones in danger." The pitch in McKay's voice was becoming higher and the tremor more pronounced.

"Rodney, Major Lorne, and his teams are here. They're not gonna let anyone hurt you."

"No, he can't protect me, no one can. They want me; they'll kill everyone just to get to me. I've got to get away."

Lorne asked quietly, "Doc; he's sounding totally out of control. McKay's armed; I'm afraid he'll hurt himself or someone else while he's so agitated. I had the guys bring a couple of Wraith stunners. Using a stunner might be the best way to get him out of this safely."

Beckett looked at Lorne, "Major; I don't like it, but I like it better than the alternative. First, let me get closer and talk to him. I might be able to get him to come with me." Beckett started to step into the shallow headwater, but Lorne grabbed his arm.

"Doc, you shouldn't go in there; let me."

Beckett chortled, "Well, there you go, major, channeling Colonel Sheppard, and getting all protective. Lad, I have been crossing rivers in the Highlands of Scotland all my life." He stepped off the bank into knee-deep water. "This little stream is no where near as deep or swift or cold, as what I crossed as a wee one. I'll be fine."

Reluctantly, Lorne nodded and Beckett stepped down into the water, which rose to his knees at first, then to his waist, by the time he reached the midpoint. The doctor stumbled once or twice but righted himself quickly. Lorne held his breath, although he appeared to be resisting the urge to jump in and help.

When Beckett reached the rocky shelf where McKay was hiding, he pulled a small flashlight from his vest. Bending down, he was careful not to shine the light directly on McKay and startle him.

"Rodney, come on out. I promise, neither, I nor Major Lorne and his men are going to let anything happen to you. You need to trust us, and tell us who is after you."

"No, no, no…Carson…go away. You're just going to get everyone killed. I said go away." Rodney was becoming extremely agitated, his voice rough and angry.

"I'm not going away; come on out here and let's go home. You're soaking wet; we need to get you back to Atlantis."

"No, no…they will kill me. Leave me alone."

Hysteria was building in McKay, and Beckett instinctively reached into the crevasse to comfort him. McKay screamed and rolled out of the narrow opening, falling into the stream. Beckett lunged for him and both went under the water. Two of the SO's standing close, jumped into the tributary and pulled both men above the surface. McKay became combative with the Marines, who reacted only by gripping the scientist tightly. As Beckett waded over to try to calm him down, Rodney slumped, unconscious.

Lorne had also jumped into the water. Grasping Beckett by the arm, he coaxed the doctor out of the stream. "Come on, doc. The guys will get McKay on the bank, then we take him to Atlantis."

~~oooOooo~~

Sheppard was breathing hard, his muscles trembling from exertion and fatigue. He had been moving as quickly as he could back to the northeast section. Atlantis was twenty point two square miles in size, almost as large as Manhattan, and he had covered about five miles, since he left the stardrive engine room. The first two miles had been easy; the last three miles had been tedious. He had crawled over debris, still covered in slime. He had slipped several times, and fallen down twice. The second fall came when he tripped over a toppled water purifier, and ripped his left forearm open. He found an open place to sit and dropped to the deck. Pulling out a pressure bandage from his TAC vest, he wrapped it snuggly around the bleeding wound. The exertion and lack of sleep were causing him to feel faint. Rested against the cold wall, he had an overwhelming desire to sleep.

"_Colonel, you are injured. You should contact the others. You require medical attention." Although Atlantis could not read his thoughts, she could sense his emotion, and she immediately comprehended she had angered him._

"Stop it, I told you no. I can't go back there; I have to find the key. You have to understand; they will die if I involve them. Now leave me alone, I have to keep moving." Sheppard struggled to his feet, swaying as he did. Although he was dizzy and weak, he continued down the corridor.

_Atlantis monitored his progress, well aware that he was not as cognitive of his surroundings as he needed to be. There was considerable the debris in the area, and she was beginning to fear for his safety. _

~~oooOooo~~

The infirmary was quiet; the only sound was soft chirping of the monitors attached to Dr. McKay. Richard Woolsey walked in expecting to see McKay's teammates hovering around his bed. However, there was only a lone nurse checking his IV lines.

The nurse, Lieutenant Gracie Menard, smiled as he walked up, "Mr. Woolsey."

"Lieutenant, how's he doing?"

Gracie glanced down at Dr. McKay before she replied, "He hasn't regained consciousness yet. I imagine Dr. Keller would prefer to bring you up to date. I'll let her know you're here."

Woolsey felt uncomfortable standing next to McKay's bed. He wasn't very good at the bedside manner thing. Colonel Sheppard once told him the only person with a worst bedside manner than his was Dr. Weir. At least, he was in good company. Fortunately, he had a short wait as Dr. Keller joined him.

"Yet again, another gathering in the infirmary; seems a bit lonely though," Keller commented.

"Yes, there are a few people missing. Amelia contacted Evona, but the teams were out of range. Teyla said they would likely have to travel to another village, and communication could be limited. We can't send a jumper to contact them, because the gate sits in a grove of huge trees. They should be back in about an hour or two. We'll just have to be patient."

"Patience is something we are trying to develop around here as well. To be honest, we don't know what is wrong with Rodney. The scan shows that his limbic system is lit up with activity."

"Limbic system, what is that?"

"Well, the middle area of the brain is called the limbic system. Many people think it's an obsolete term, but my neuro prof liked the term and used it. The middle brain controls our emotional responses and cravings. The amygdala is located in the middle brain. It's where fear emanates from, where our fight-or-flight responses originate. But it's more complicated than that, other structures in Rodney's brain are highly stimulated. It's like he's dreaming, trying to be creative, and trying to solve complex problems all at once."

Woolsey laughed, then immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, doctor; I don't think this is humorous, but isn't that Dr. McKay all the time?"

It was Keller's turn to smile, "Yeah. Let's just say that his normal activity has been intensified. He's asleep and dreaming quite a bit, yet his higher brain is active. The higher brain, the area that generates language, logic and critical thinking, is usually off-line, if you will, during the dream stage. Rodney's is active, and that shouldn't be. Studies show that we do make critical, logical choices during dreams. We just don't know a lot that mechanism yet. The activity in Rodney's brain is not normal, not even for Rodney."

"Is he in danger, doctor?"

Keller took a deep breath, not answering right away, "I don't know; I don't even know what is causing this, yet. We're running tox screens, but this is Pegasus. We don't know what natural chemical compounds could be out there, much less anything man-made."

"Have either of the scientists or the Marine squad on the mission show any symptoms?"

She shook her head, "No, not yet, at least. I requested that Dr. Gray, the new environmental astrobiologist, along with Dr. Parrish, collect air, water, and plant samples to see if they can find anything that might have caused this. We've done scans and taken blood samples from Captain Isaacs and his team, as well as the two agronomists that were on the planet. They seem fine and the post-mission check of the rescue team didn't show anything out of the ordinary. I'm having all of them check in periodically to monitor any changes."

"Is there any history of an illness with these symptoms on the planet?"

"Not that we are aware of, but before Dr. Beckett went to get cleaned-up, he sent his clinic team to the closest village to check out the residents. They haven't returned yet."

With a last look at the sleeping Dr. McKay, Woolsey told Keller, "Keep me informed, doctor." He left the infirmary to confer with Major Lorne.

~~oooOooo~~

Ansel Brunet was the engineering tech monitoring the operations console on the evening shift. The day shift tech, Eva Mason, had informed him about the faint, intermittent energy readings that had been appearing all day. He had been on duty for about two hours when a minute spike appeared on his console screen.

"Amelia, I've got another one of those weird readings Eva told me to watch for."

"Where's this one?" Amelia was the evening gate tech and control room supervisor.

"In quadrant NE738, really faint, but it was on the same frequency as the others."

"Chuck said to send any errant readings to Dr. Zelenka. He's plotting them to see if there's any pattern."

Ansel nodded and forwarded the location to Zelenka.

~~oooOooo~~

The walls of the long corridor undulated before him, as dizziness overtook him once more. Sheppard reached out to steady himself against a doorframe. He had descended another two levels, once again on the lowest level of Atlantis. The temperature had fallen from the higher decks, but he was so exhausted that he no longer felt the cold. The dampness had seeped into his clothes, providing no insulation from the chill. His chest heaved from the effort of breathing in the stagnant air.

Once again, the colonel was dealing with negotiating piles of debris. He was attempting to step around the fragments of several collapsed wall panels when he was struck with another wave of dizziness. Misjudging his footing, Sheppard caught the toe of his boot on a piece of rubble. He tumbled, rolling a couple of times before slamming against an overturned bench.

Sheppard lay motionless on the cold, damp floor, dazed and weary, without any perception of the passage of time. Pain coursed throughout his body, jarred from slamming into the hard bench. Finally, he strained to move, but simply lacked the strength.

However, he knew he had to keep going. He pushed away from the floor with his left arm, collapsing once more from the blinding, searing pain in his shoulder and back. Gasping for breath, he waited for the excruciating pain to diminish. When he finally gathered the nerve to attempt to stand, he used his right arm for leverage, and managed to get to his feet. He leaned against the corridor wall for a moment until the dizziness passed. When he felt able to move, he headed down the corridor. His destination was still a long way away.

_Atlantis followed._

~~oooOooo~~

"Let me out of here; you don't understand. They are going to kill us all. I have to get away from here."

"Rodney, calm down; you're safe." Carson Beckett was helping a nurse and an EMT restrain McKay. He had awakened just as Carson entered the infirmary, and was almost out of bed before Carson and the nurse reached him.

"No, no, no... You have to let me go. They're going to kill me."

"Who is going to kill you? Who's after you?" Carson asked Rodney, as he mouthed to an approaching nurse to get Keller.

Rodney was struggling with them one moment, then fell limply against the mattress. He stared at Beckett, a confused expression on his face. "Carson, w-what's happening?

"You've been a bit agitated, Rodney. Can ya tell me why?"

Rodney's expression was one of confusion, panic. He stared at Carson, then Jennifer as she rushed to his bedside. His eyes darting between them, Rodney weakly said, "I don't know."

Jennifer smiled, as she adjusted the oxygen cannula at his nose. "It's good to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" Rodney didn't reply; he was gazing blankly over her shoulder. She asked again, "Rodney, how are you feeling?"

His eyes widened, as a look of sheer panic crossed his face. "No, no, no…they're here. They're here. They will kill all of you." He lunged to his left toward Carson, who grabbed him. The EMT, who was on the other side, reached across and pulled Rodney back onto the bed. As Carson was trying to reason with the agitated man, he heard Keller order 4mg of Ativan. Within seconds, a nurse hurried up and injected the sedative into an IV port, and Rodney soon calmed.

Carson took a deep breath, "Jennifer; he's delusional. Have you found any possible cause?"

"Not yet, but a lot of the tests aren't back yet?"

"I talked to Tim Hayes; he just returned with the clinic team. They took histories and blood samples, said the population was quite cooperative. There was no indication that any of the indigenous people have suffered any symptoms akin to Rodney's."

Jennifer dropped her head into her hands, rubbing her temples before she replied. "Maybe this is something Rodney was exposed to somewhere else? We'll have to wait for the rest of his team to return, and see how they are doing. Meanwhile, I'm going to keep a sitter with Rodney. I don't want to restrain him, but if it becomes necessary…"

"Maybe we should ask Major Lorne to post a couple of Marine's in here. Rodney might feel calmer when he wakes up with some Marine's nearby."

Jennifer agreed, "I know I'd feel better with them nearby, for Rodney's protection. At least, until we figure out what's going on?"

Carson put his arm around her, "Come on, lass. Let's go see if any results are back on those tests."

~~oooOooo~~

Richard Woolsey absently threw the wrapper from his sandwich toward the trashcan, not even caring if he missed. He had just returned to his office from the infirmary and found the sandwich; Amelia's efforts no doubt. There was no change in McKay's condition. For now, Keller and Beckett concurred that until they understood more about what was happening to him, they were keeping McKay sedated.

Just as he took a bite from his sandwich, the gate activated. He dropped the sandwich and ran to Amelia's station.

"Who is it?"

The IDC popped on the screen, "It's Captain Stackhouse's IDC, sir."

"Good, glad to have Colonel Sheppard back."

Woolsey ran down the stairs and was nearly at the gate when the first Marine exited. Behind them, Teyla and Ronon emerged, then Stackhouse and the other two members of his team. Teyla was the first to notice the perplexed look on Woolsey's face.

"Mr. Woolsey, you do not normally meet us in the gate room, is everything alright?"

"Colonel Sheppard, I thought he was with you."

"No, the colonel accompanied Dr. McKay on his mission."

Woolsey sucked in a deep breath, "No; he didn't."

Ronon growled, "Where's Sheppard?" He had taken a step closer to Woolsey, and Teyla held out her arm to stop him.

"I don't know."

Teyla's left eyebrow rose, as she replied, "You do not know?"

"You need to come with me; Dr. McKay is in the infirmary. He has been exhibiting very erratic behavior today. He ran away from Captain Isaacs' team, and we had to mount a rescue mission. He's under sedation, and I know that Keller and Beckett will want to check you both out. We'll explain everything there."

As they headed for the infirmary, Woolsey tapped his COM, "Major Lorne, please join me in the infirmary. We have a situation. Colonel Sheppard is missing."

~~oooOooo~~

_"John, your heart rate is abnormally high, and you are exhausted. You must rest."_

"If you keep talking to me, they'll find you. I can't protect you. Leave…me…alone."

Sheppard began to run. He had only traversed a few yards before he fell once more, screaming as his left shoulder slammed into the deck. He rolled over onto his stomach, the strap of his rucksack digging the injured shoulder. His breaths were shallow, ragged; tears caused by the pain, streaming down his face.

"_Colonel, colonel, you must rest. You need help, contact someone." _

With the increase in pain, his confusion had intensified. He could hear the voice murmuring in his head, but he no longer understood that the thoughts belonged to Atlantis. The ones who wanted to kill him had found him; he was convinced of it. He began to panic. He struggled to stand, pushing against any objects that would support his weight, not noticing as sharp metal cut into his hands and arms. Once on his feet, he leaned against the wall. He heard the voice again, faint, taunting. He had to hide.

Using only the pale illumination from the flashlight mounted on his P-90, Sheppard headed further down the hallway, until he found a door that was partially open. It was too narrow for him to slip through wearing the rucksack, so he slipped it from his shoulders. He tried unsuccessfully to keep from crying out in pain as the pack slid off his left shoulder. He was afraid they could hear him, so he had to hurry. He had to hide.

He threw the rucksack through the opening, and then turned sideways to slip through the narrow crack. Clearing the doorway, he felt the metal deck beneath him give slightly. The deck began to creak, groaning as the metal strained from his weight. Before he could slide back through the opening, the platform he was standing on fell out from under him. He reached frantically for something to grab onto but there was only air. Within seconds, he had fallen approximately fifteen feet into a large pit.

An elevated deck covered the bottom of the pit, and large segments of the metal deck were missing, exposing the metal braces that supported the decking. Sheppard landed on one of the broken sections of the floor. His head struck the hard deck, knocking him unconscious. He was still, impaled by one of the braces. The narrow, metal support protruded from his right side, mid-torso; rivulets of bright red blood trailing from the edges of the metal.

_Atlantis felt what she could only presume was helplessness. Who would hear her when the only Atlantian she could truly communicate with was unconscious and gravely wounded? How could she save him?_

_

* * *

_

Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2. Would love to hear from you.

Chapter 3 posted with a day or two.


	3. Subara

**Title: ****Murmurs**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **K+

**Genre(s): **Action/Adventure, Friendship, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, and of course, Whump

**Warnings: **Language, serious injury

**Spoilers: **Story set post-Season Five

**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters

**Word Count: **Chapter 3:5,011

**Summary: **Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

Thanks to **Hotshow** for a wonderful story idea.

* * *

Murmurs

_By stella_pegasi_

**Chapter Three Subara**

"If he didn't come with us or go with McKay, then where is he?"

Ronon was standing toe-to-toe with Major Lorne, a decidedly irritated look on his face. Two SO's standing nearby inched their way closer to the two men, but Lorne's minuscule shake of his head stopped them.

"Ronon, I don't know. Chuck, Amelia, and Liang are reviewing the gate room surveillance tapes to see what really went on this morning."

"Did the colonel managed to gate off with another team?" Teyla asked of Lorne.

"No idea; look, Teldy's questioning every team that went off world today. They've all returned, so if Sheppard did go out with one of them, he didn't come back." Lorne sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

Keller and Woolsey walked up to the small group standing near Dr. McKay's bed. Keller quickly monitored McKay's vitals, and then turned to the others.

"With Rodney exhibiting such erratic, paranoid behavior, I am concerned that whatever is affecting him is also affecting Colonel Sheppard. Any of you noticed anything unusual with either of them in the last few days.

Teyla and Ronon exchanged worried glances, "Yes; we had planned on talking to Colonel Sheppard this evening. He has been…" Teyla paused, "Moody, withdrawn, nervous, not himself. John is relaxed around us. He may not share a lot of what he feels, but he is never short tempered, nor does he ever appear nervous, even when he might be. I don't know." She looked up at Ronon, "We just thought something was bothering him."

Lorne shook his head, "I tried to meet with him for the last three days, but he kept avoiding me. When I did catch up with him, and asked to set a time to go over team assignments, he snapped at me. Colonel Sheppard never does that. He seemed to realize what he had done, and told me he hadn't been sleeping, that he was just tired."

"Did you notice any changes in Dr. McKay?" Woolsey asked.

"No, but I hadn't seen him, except briefly, for the last few days. I assumed he was working in his lab." Teyla replied, and Ronon shook his head in agreement.

"Well, while it's not conclusive evidence, I have a feeling that whatever is happening to Rodney is happening to Colonel Sheppard as well. The results of the tox screen we did on Rodney just came out. It revealed a chemical compound that we haven't seen before; Carson's working on identifying it now."

Woolsey asked, "Can you pinpoint when Colonel Sheppard's behavior changed? Did something happen on a mission?" Once again, Ronon and Teyla exchanged glances, but neither spoke.

"Well, did something happen, you need to tell us." Woolsey waited.

Teyla spoke, "Yes, perhaps; a small misunderstanding on the mission four days ago to Subara. While there, we visited the learning center. As you know, the Subaran are technologically advanced, and the trade minister we met with, thought it would be a good idea for us to meet some of the other prominent citizens. He took us to the office of Proffer Terdarin, the head of the school of science at the learning center, where several scientists were waiting."

"I read that in Colonel Sheppard's report; you two and Dr. McKay gave only brief mention of the visit in your mission reports. What happened?"

"Terdarin is a fool." Ronon growled.

Teyla sighed, "As much as I do not like to use that word about someone, I fear Ronon is right. John thought that Terdarin was jealous of Rodney. He was constantly, to use the word the colonel used, _needling_ Rodney. Rodney would try to answer someone's question, and Terdarin would interject, trying to suggest Rodney's answers were incorrect. Rodney was becoming quite distressed, but remained calm. I'm afraid Colonel Sheppard had a more difficult time remaining calm."

"What did he do?" Woolsey asked.

Ronon stated very matter-of-factly, "He should've told the idiot he was going to knock him on his ass."

At the shocked look on Woolsey's face, Teyla explained, "The colonel did not use those words. He was polite, but quietly suggested to Terdarin that if he had concerns he wished to discuss with Rodney, perhaps they should talk in private. Terdarin laughed, which did not sit well with Colonel Sheppard. However, I do not believe the colonel pursued the conversation."

Ronon added, "He didn't; Sheppard came over to McKay, who was standing by me. Told him that Terdarin was an idiot and jealous of Rodney; he wanted Rodney to ignore him and not lose his cool."

Lorne asked, "So no other words were exchanged; nothing else happened?"

Teyla sighed, "No, nothing; Rodney stayed away from Terdarin from that point on. Terdarin didn't make any other comments that we heard, and we went back to the governor's house for a feast. We returned to Atlantis about three hours later."

Beckett walked up, "We just identified the compound; well, at least, we know what kind of compound it is. It's a powerful hallucinogen. It appears to have a time-release mechanism to it with a twist. It not only releases the drug slowly, but also, is increasing the dose being released over time. I don't believe the drug has reached its full potential for creating delusions yet. I feel keeping Rodney sedated and monitoring the levels of the drugs is all we can do, at least, for the moment."

"Anyway to neutralize this drug, Dr. Beckett?" Woolsey asked.

"I have asked Dr. Margrove in bio-chem to assist my team to see if that's possible."

"Doctors, what kind of danger does this drug pose for Rodney and, possibly, Colonel Sheppard?"

Keller looked to Beckett, who answered, "Considerable danger; I'm afraid. The drug is very powerful, and Rodney's system is saturated with it. We just don't know what it will do to his body if an increasing amount of this drug continues to flood his system."

"Then we need to find answers, and we need to find them fast." Woolsey sounded disturbed

"And we need to find Sheppard." Ronon grumbled.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten, Ronon. We have to find the colonel."

~~ooOoo~~

_Atlantis was conducting the artificial intelligence unit's version of pacing. She was running diagnostics to determine if there was any way to inform the others of the colonel's accident. The first cycle failed to uncover a system that she could connect to from the location where he had fallen. She re-initiated the diagnostic, looking for an alternative path. _

_The damage to the sector where Sheppard had fallen was extensive. Atlantis was concerned that the lack of repairs might cost Sheppard his life. She needed to determine a way to communicate with the others, for time was running out. John Sheppard lay on the cold deck, barely breathing, a metal stake through his body. As she watched over him, she wondered if she would have been better off if this man with his special abilities had not come to her. She would have not assimilated the emotions he hid, or felt the emotions of the others through him. Then she would not be experiencing the fear that was building inside her. Fear that she would lose him; fear that she would be alone once more._

~~ooOoo~~

Chuck Campbell activated the view screen in the main conference room. He narrated the visuals from the gate room's security cameras as Woolsey, Teyla, Ronon, and Lorne watched.

"This is from 06:30 hours, when Teyla and Ronon along with Captain Stackhouse's team departed for Evona. Liang told me that he saw Colonel Sheppard going down the stairs, geared up, heading for the gate, as he was dialing the address. Sheppard threw up his hand and told him he would see him later. You can see the colonel enter the picture at the bottom of the screen, just as the last of Stackhouse's team enters the event horizon. But the colonel never goes through."

The time-stamp on the view screen changed to 0820 hours, when Rodney, the agronomists, and Captain Isaacs' team departed. "I was on duty then, and the entire scenario was the same as Liang reported. The colonel waved at me as I was dialing the gate, just as he had earlier. You can see that he entered the image as the team filed through the gate, but Colonel Sheppard did not go through the gate."

"You are certain that the colonel did not gate off with another team."

"Yes, we've reviewed all the video; the colonel didn't go through the gate." Chuck answered.

"Then he has to be on Atlantis." Woolsey remarked.

Lorne tapped his COM, "Major Waters; I want search teams dispatched all over this city. Assemble teams of two, so they can cover more turf, and send me updates at fifteen minute intervals."

Ronon rose, "I'm searching too."

"As am I," Teyla rose as well.

"First, I would like for you to accompany me to Colonel Sheppard's quarters. You might spot something out of place before I would." Sheppard's teammates nodded.

Lorne turned to Woolsey, "Sir, I would like to send Major Teldy to Subara to talk to Terdarin. He's a scientist; perhaps he knows something about this compound, and how it got into Dr. McKay."

"I would rather you go than Major Teldy. While she is an exceptional officer, I don't believe she has your diplomatic skills, major."

"You saying that Teldy would be libel to knock the Subarans on their ass, and then ask questions, Mr. Woolsey?"

The corner of Woolsey's mouth curled slightly, "Let's just say, I believe you might keep causalities to a minimum. Take Dr. Zelenka and Dr. Beckett with you."

"Yes, sir; Ronon, Teyla, I'll send Teldy with you to Colonel Sheppard's quarters to see if you can find anything there to help us. Let's get some answers, people."

Within fifteen minutes, Major Lorne, along with Beckett and Zelenka gated to Subara, as Woolsey watched from the breezeway leading to his office. From his COM, he could hear the first round of check-in's by the search teams. He gazed around the gate room and the control room, knowing there was only one question on the minds of the worried faces surrounding him. Where was Colonel Sheppard?

~~ooOoo~~

_Atlantis had begun to send data bytes through the communications system. The repetitive signals included the sector that Sheppard had been injured in, as well as, his military ID number, which she had secured from his digital file. She was trying to reach the ones with the natural gene. She reasoned that if she could transmit the information to them, they might understand what she was trying to communicate. At least, she hoped they would. None of the others possessed as strong a gene as the colonel. While they could operate the simpler items such as the doors or the transporters and the maintenance equipment, none of them could interact with her. The fact was, very few of the builders of the city-ships could interact with the AI's. The designers, who possessed exceptionally strong genes, made certain that only someone with a very powerful gene could control Atlantis.. _

_She had been distracted by Sheppard's behavior, and had focused on nothing else occurring in the city, as she monitored the colonel's wanderings. The city's operations, utilities, computer systems, the gate all ran seamlessly in her autonomic processors. It wasn't until she began to broadcast the colonel's situation throughout Atlantis that she became aware that the one with the large brain was in the infirmary. She had finally begun to think of him as Doctor McKay, because the colonel referred to him that way. She had hoped to reach him. His ability to process information was extraordinary and he had proven he could recognize her efforts to communicate with him, although he only possessed an artificial gene. However, as long as he was under sedation, there would be no way for him to respond to her. _

_She was concentrating on the other two people who had a strong natural gene; the one called Lorne and the healer. As she reached out for them, she felt the gate engage and realized that both the men she sought were about to depart the city. She emitted a surge of energy, aimed at them, hoping to stop them. However, she was too late, or they were not strong enough to hear her. They were gone. She was going to have to find another way. Sheppard was getting weaker, his breathing shallow; she was running out of time._

~~ooOoo~~

Major Teldy uncovered the control panel outside Colonel Sheppard's quarters, inputting the override code to unlock the door. She stepped inside, and used the manual switch to turn on the ambient lights.

With an obvious note of surprise in her voice, Teldy said, "This is not at all what I expected. I assumed the colonel would be extremely neat."

Teyla had walked to the center of the room, and slowly turned around, observing the entire room. "The colonel is quite tidy; this is not how he usually keeps his quarters."

Sheppard's room was in disarray. His bedclothes were twisted and partially lying on the floor; his pillow wadded up. Clothing and towels left a trail to and from the bathroom. There were water bottles and a few beer cans strewn about everywhere.

Ronon walked to the bed, picking up several magazines from the floor. He turned and looked Teyla, "He's in trouble."

"Yes; yes he is. We need to let Dr. Keller know what we found here. Major, you need to let your people know that the colonel may not be himself. He may be suffering from the same delusions that Dr. McKay is, that there is someone one after him."

"Yes, ma'am; I'll inform Major Waters and Captain Stackhouse. Don't worry, ma'am; we'll be careful. I'll put an order in for maintenance to clean the colonel's quarters immediately."

"Thank you, major." Teyla smiled at Teldy, then turned to Ronon. "Let us go talk to Dr. Keller and Mr. Woolsey, then we will join the search for the colonel."

~~ooOoo~~

Cymus Larp rose from the ornate chair behind his desk. Walking around to stand in front of Major Lorne, the chief of the Subaran Council's expression was one of sheer disdain.

"What exactly are you intimating, major? Are you trying to say that someone from Subara is responsible for the delusions these two men are suffering? You owe the citizens of Subara an apology for making such an accusation."

Lorne swallowed, "Sir; no one is accusing anyone of anything. We have come to request your assistance in determining if Dr. McKay and possibly, Colonel Sheppard, were exposed to this chemical while on Subara."

Beckett interjected, "We need for your scientists to review the formula to determine if it's familiar. If it is, we need your assistance in helping us neutralize the compound."

Teid Onais, the trade minister that Sheppard's team met with originally, stepped closer to Larp, "Chief, the Atlantians visited here as representatives of the Pegasus Coalition. We would be remiss if we did not assist them; they are allies."

Chief Larp glared at Onais for a few seconds, then said, "It is late; take them to Proffer Terdarin's home. Let the proffer see if he can help them."

Lorne, Beckett, and Zelenka followed Onais to a transport that would take them to the scientist's residence. As they walked outside, Lorne noticed a large moon had risen, casting pale silver light across the city. The major turned to Beckett, "I think sending Teldy would have been a better idea. These guys need an attitude adjustment; if they keep this up, I'm going to give them one."

Beckett nodded, "I hear ya, major; the chief doesn't seem to have any desire to cooperate."

Lorne detoured to speak to Captain Isaacs, whose team had remained outside of the government center, then caught up with Beckett and Zelenka. They were about to get into the transport, when he stopped them. "If either of you think these people are trying to hide something, let me know. I've instructed Isaacs to return to the gate. If he doesn't hear from me in thirty minutes, he is to contact Atlantis for reinforcements." He paused, his mouth curling in a soft smile, "Colonel Sheppard's spidy sense is contagious. I'm feeling it now; something isn't right here."

The ride to the residential quarters of the learning center took about five minutes. A maid answered the door at Terdarin's home and ushered them into the proffer's office. Terdarin was sitting at his desk. He didn't rise when they entered the room.

Onais spoke, "Proffer, this is Major Lorne, Dr. Beckett, and Dr. Zelenka from Atlantis. They have come to ask for your assistance." He turned to Lorne, "Major, forgive me, I have a meeting tomorrow that I need to prepare for. The transport will be available when you are ready to leave." Lorne nodded thanks and Onais departed.

Beckett spoke, "Dr. McKay, who visited here a few days ago, is quite ill. He is suffering from delusions and seems to be getting worse. We've isolated a compound that we believe may be the source. Could you please see if you recognize the compound?"

"Why are you asking me? McKay was here days ago, he could have been exposed anywhere since then. What makes you think he picked up something here?"

Zelenka turned his pad around so that Terdarin could see the chemical formula on the screen, "Do you recognize this compound?"

Terdarin reached out, taking the pad from Zelenka. After looking at the screen for a few seconds, he visibly paled, and quickly rose from his chair. "Where did you get this?"

Beckett questioned the scientist, "You recognize what this compound is, don't you? Tell me, I have a patient that needs help."

"This, this was supposed to be destroyed. They promised me they were going to destroy it. I can't believe this; he lied to me, lied."

Beckett slammed his fist on the table, "Damn it, man, tell me. Do you know what this compound is?"

"Of course he does, Dr. Beckett. He knows exactly what that compound is; Proffer Terdarin developed it."

The Atlantians turned toward the voice to find Chief Larp leaning against the frame of the open doorway. He stepped into the room, followed by four burly guards, leaving more guards in the hall.

Terdarin rushed Larp only to be grabbed roughly by one of the guards. His face was turning crimson with anger, "Larp; you told me that this would be destroyed. You know it's dangerous, you know what it can do. How could you? Why did you give it to Dr. McKay? Why, you despicable…" He tried to break free from the guard but couldn't.

"We had to see if the drug worked. It's the perfect weapon to use against anyone who attempts to attack us. We decided to try it on Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard. Your belligerent behavior during your meeting with the Atlantians seemed to be the perfect cover for our little trial. It the Atlantians figured it out then you would be blamed. I just didn't expect them to figure it out so quickly."

"Trial, what kind of trial; what have you done to our people?" Beckett was agitated, and Zelenka had grabbed his arm to keep him from rushing Larp as well.

Lorne walked over to Larp. "Chief, what's going on here?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned about." He turned to a guard, "Take them to the lab. I imagine Dr. Phyth will like having some new subjects to test when he returns."

Lorne motioned to Beckett and Zelenka not to resist. Their weapons were confiscated, and they were escorted to a waiting transport and driven away.

~~ooOoo~~

Richard Woolsey found himself holding his breath, as the time for the next search update grew close. Teams had been searching the city for an hour, fanning out from the central tower, yet they had found no trace of Colonel Sheppard.

Major Anne Teldy was standing behind night shift gate tech, Liang Wu's console in the gate room. Liang was monitoring the progress of the teams as they worked the search grid. Teldy had not taken her eyes off the monitor.

"Major; you look puzzled." Woolsey quietly walked up beside her.

She shook her head, "We're missing something; I can feel it. I just can't figure out what."

"Some of Colonel Sheppard's intuition rubbing off on you, major?"

Sighing Teldy answered, "Lorne warned me; he said that the colonel's instincts had a tendency to rub off on those around him. He laughed when he told me, said that having a 'spidy sense' came in handy. Today, it doesn't seem to be serving me very well."

"He's on Atlantis, major. We will find him, it's just a matter of …." The sound of the stargate engaging interrupted.

"Liang?"

Liang was already checking the IDC screen, "It's Captain Isaacs, sir."

Just as Woolsey and Teldy reached the mezzanine railing, Isaacs rushed through the gate. Spotting the director, he ran toward the balcony, "Mr. Woolsey, major, we have a problem. Lorne, Beckett, and Zelenka have been taking captive by the Subarans." Woolsey motioned him to the control room.

They met the captain on the landing. Woolsey spoke first, "Captive, what are you talking about. Who's taking them captive?"

"Chief Larp, the head of the government. Lorne and the doctors went to see Terdarin after they spoke with him. As they were leaving the government center, Lorne told me that he felt the Subarans were hiding something. He ordered us back to the gate, and said if we hadn't heard from him in thirty minutes, to call for assistance."

"If you were back at the gate, how did you know they were captured?" Teldy asked.

"Major Lorne opened his COM while they were in Terdarin's home. We heard everything. Terdarin recognized the compound and started yelling about someone lying. Then Larp arrived and Terdarin accused him of lying to him about the compound. Something about telling him that the compound had been destroyed. Larp admitted they gave the drug to the colonel and Dr. McKay. They took them away to a lab, but I don't know where. I instructed my team to recon the government center, but to stay out of sight. I wanted them to be able to monitor any communication from Lorne or possibly get an idea of where they've been taken."

"Mr. Woolsey, I need to pull some teams from the search."

"Major, we need all hands looking for the colonel."

"And we need information on what they were given and it's on that planet; along with our people."

Liang spoke up, "Mr. Woolsey, I might have a solution so we don't lose any numbers on the search. In fact, there will be more people searching. Dr. Egorov and Dr. Ronaldson have offered to organize the scientists to help search. They don't want to sit by, they want to help look for the colonel."

"It could be dangerous; I don't know if I like the idea of sending the scientists into unexplored areas."

Teldy responded, "We won't; I'll pull the military teams out of the surveyed areas, and send them into the un-explored or off-limits sections. That way the scientists can search the secure areas. They can report to Captain Stackhouse, I'm taking Waters and Salem with me to pilot the jumpers."

"Sounds, good, major; proceed. Liang, let the doctors know their help is appreciated and to report to Captain Stackhouse."

Teldy walked away, already on the COM with Major Waters. Liang looked over a Woolsey. "Well, sir, another normal day on Atlantis."

"Are there any other kind, Liang?" The question was rhetorical, they already knew the answer was no.

~~ooOoo~~

_She sensed their movement throughout her. Slow and methodical, they were creeping along the corridors, moving away from the tower. She must find a way to get their attention and bring them to him. His breathing was becoming worse; she was uncertain how much time she had. She had attempted to re-route power to the damage area where he lay, but the conduits were broken. She was unable to repair the connections. She had tried every path available to her, but the crystalline wires were shattered in too many locations. There had to be another way. She began to formulate a plan._

~~ooOoo~~

Beckett was pacing, his Scottish brogue becoming increasingly more pronounced, as he ranted at Terdarin. They had been taken to a small room located in one story building about five miles outside of the city. Beckett had confronted the Subaran as soon as the door was locked behind them.

"Tell me what this compound is. I have one and most likely two, of my colleagues and closest friends affected by this drug. Tell me what it is." He was standing inches from the bench that Terdarin had collapsed on when he entered.

Terdarin didn't answer; he was holding his head in his hands. Beckett grabbed him by the shoulders, pushing him against the wall. "Tell me, damn it."

Lorne pulled Beckett away, "Doc, that's not going to help."

Zelenka sat down on the bench next to the Subaran. "Proffer Terdarin, we are sorry to be so…so…adamant, but we need answers. Could you please tell us about this chemical? We know it is some sort of hallucinogen that causes delusions and that there is a time-release mechanism. We do not know what it is used for, or if there is an antidote. We need your help."

Terdarin closed his eyes and spoke, his voice quiet, "We had recovered from the devastation of the Wraith attacks during the cullings of nearly three hundred years ago. It had been so long that we thought those vile creatures were no longer a threat. Then a few years ago, we were culled again. A passing convoy of a few small Wraith ships, our sentinels said. They didn't take many, but what they took was enough. They took my wife and son. I wanted revenge; I didn't want anyone else to suffer what I had suffered. I had to figure out a way to stop them, so I began working on the compound. I talked my colleague, Viab Orsoneri, into helping me. We developed a drug that would induce paranoia and delusions in the Wraith. It was designed to slowly release into their system and cause them to turn on each other."

Beckett had calmed down somewhat, "How did you expect to deliver the drug?"

"The trade minister, Teid Onais, traveled off-world quite often, and he learned of a large group of Wraith worshipers living together on an culled planet that had been abandoned. The worshipers would disguise themselves and gate off-world to trade. Eventually someone would discover who they were and they would have to find another planet to trade with. Teid was able to determine the gate address to the planet that they inhabited. That information started our plan."

"Even if you could gate to the planet, how would you be able to distribute the drug?" Beckett asked.

"According to what Teid learned, the Wraith visited the planet where the Wraith worshipers settled quite often to partake of nectar that is produced by a certain plant that grows there. We thought that if we could add the drug to the nectar supply, we could dose them that way. We made it a time-release so that a large number of them would consume the drug before they became aware of what was happening."

Lorne looked puzzled, "Nectar? The Wraith didn't eat, uh, food then, what would they want with nectar?"

"According to what we heard it was something that they used in some sort of ceremony."

"Interesting, they started out as bugs, could be that this nectar was a food for them then. They may have retained a need for it; but this is something I have never heard before. I must say an ingenious plan."

Lorne added. "Colonel Sheppard told me the Wraith, Todd, once said that there was much about the Wraith we didn't know."

"Aye, they have proven to be a more complex race than we originally thought."

Zelenka asked, "You said that Larp lied to you. What did he lie about?"

"When word came that the Wraith threat was gone, thanks to Atlantis, Viab and I decided to destroy the drug. It was dangerous and we didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands. That is why I was so belligerent with Dr. McKay. I didn't want him asking too many questions of my staff. I was afraid that someone would inadvertently speak about the drug. I was hoping to make him mad enough to not want anything to do with us. The disrespect I gave him was, in my mind, necessary."

Lorne asked, "I take it the drug was not destroyed."

Terdarin shook his head. "Larp had his minions confiscate the drug inventory and data that we had before we could destroy it. He told us that the government had decided they were going to petition to join the Pegasus Coalition. He said that the government wanted to make absolutely certain that the drug and any record of it had been destroyed. Obviously, they had other motives."

Beckett asked, "Is there an antidote for this drug?"

Nodding, Terdarin replied, "Yes, there is, but there is a limited time window to administer the reversal compound. It must be given within the first seven days after the initial dose is taken to be effective. It must be given before the drug alters the brain chemistry permanently."

Beckett turned to Lorne, "Then major, we need to get out of here."

Lorne smiled, "Isaacs would have contacted Atlantis by now. I imagine Teldy is on her way with the cavalry."

Beckett and Zelenka appeared relieved, but Terdarin looked distressed. "If McKay and Sheppard were given the drug four days ago, the drug is nearly fully dispensed. It delivers the bulk of the dosage by five to six days. The drug binds with normal brain chemicals causing reactions even after metabolized. Your friends are in trouble. They don't have much time."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed...Chapter 4 will be posted within a day or so.


	4. Rescue and Search

**Title: ****Murmurs**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **K+

**Genre(s): **Action/Adventure, Friendship, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, and of course, Whump

**Warnings: **Language, serious injury

**Spoilers: **Story set post-Season Five

**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters

**Word Count: **Chapter 4: 5,531

**Summary: **Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

Thanks to **Hotshow** for a wonderful story idea.

* * *

Murmurs

_By stella_pegasi_

**Chapter Four Rescue and Search**

_He was stirring. She diverted her attention from the others and her attempts to reach them, fully to him. He was barely conscious, but she gently reached into his mind._

"_Colonel…colonel, can you hear me?" She felt his struggles, as he felt her within his thoughts and as he tried to form a thought back to her. _

"'L-Lantis…h-hurt…"

"_I know, colonel: you had an accident, you fell and are badly injured. Please do not try to move."_

"H-ave to, they a-are coming, save t-them."

"_No, you cannot move. John, you must listen to me, I am trying to bring help, you must lie still."_

"T-they…they will….h-hurt… everyone…ha...hav..."

_As his thoughts faded, Atlantis feared she was losing him. She observed him for a few seconds, realizing that he had slipped back into unconsciousness. His breathing seemed shallower than before, which concerned her. Reluctantly, she returned to her efforts to reach the others, but part of her remained with him. She would not leave him. _

~~ooOoo~~

Beckett was once again pacing; fifteen minutes before two Subarans guards had entered and taken Major Lorne away. Zelenka was sitting on a bench, watching him.

"Carson, pacing will not help. You are only wearing yourself out. Lorne said Major Teldy will be here, we must be patient."

"Those bastards are probably giving him that damn compound right now. We need to figure out how to get out of here."

Terdarin was sitting on a bench across from Zelenka. "Dr. Beckett, even if they do give the drug to him, if we can administer the antidote within eighteen hours, he will never develop the symptoms. However, I agree with you; we need to get out of here. We need to help your friends who are not so lucky."

"Sit down, Carson; give Major Teldy time, she'll be here," Zelenka gestured to an empty area on the bench. Beckett drew in a long breath, slowly letting it go, then reluctantly sat down.

~~ooOoo~~

"Mr. Woolsey…Mr. Woolsey."

A disembodied voice in his ear startled Woolsey from his nap. He had gone to his quarters to get some rest, but instead of going to bed, he had first sat down on the couch in his living area to think. He had promptly fallen asleep.

He jumped up, "Yes, what is it?"

Liang replied, "Sir, we are getting anomalous energy readings from all over Atlantis. We don't know the cause, but the anomalies are beginning to interfere with all the systems."

"I'm on my way."

Woolsey rushed from his quarters and by the time, he arrived in the control room, the power had flickered on and off at least nine times.

"What the hell is going on?" He yelled as he rushed to Liang's station. Chuck was there as well, reporting as soon as Liang informed him. Chuck looked up at him.

"We don't know, sir. Things were calm and then about fifteen minutes ago this started. We are getting reports of doors opening and closing at random, transporters malfunctioning, water flowing without being turned on, all kinds of crazy things."

"The computers and the gate, are they functioning?"

"So far, sir…" Chuck was interrupted by a loud noise coming from above. The gate room bay doors were beginning to open.

"What the …., Chuck who's doing that?"

"No one, sir."

Before they fully opened, the bay doors closed once more and it was quiet. Woolsey didn't say anything for a minute as he pondered what to do next. He turned to Chuck, "Who is the scientist in charge when Dr. McKay and Dr. Zelenka are both off-world?"

"Dr. Kusanagi is next in line, sir."

Woolsey pursed his lips, "Get her up here." Chuck nodded, tapping his COM. As Woolsey walked to the balcony door, watching the lights continue to flicker on and off across the city, he heard Chuck informing Kusanagi to report to the control room.

It was ten minutes before the diminutive Japanese scientist appeared, flustered and out of breath. She was carrying her laptop, a dangling power cord trailing behind her. She approached Chuck, who nodded toward Woolsey. Taking a deep breath, she turned toward the Atlantis director.

"Mr. Woolsey, sir; you wanted to see me?"

Yes, Miko; do you have any idea what is happening?"

"No, sir, not as of yet; we are attempting to isolate the source where this began, but it seems to be happening all over the city at once. We cannot determine location of the first malfunction. It will be most difficult to identify the problem, if we do not know where to begin."

"Any possibility of sabotage, doctor?"

"It is possibility, Mr. Woolsey; but no way of knowing at this point. No critical systems have been damaged, but everything is being affected."

"I want you monitoring everything from here. Keep me posted, I want regular updates."

Miko nodded and headed for a vacant console, as Chuck walked up to Woolsey.

"Sir, do you think this is sabotage?"

"I don't know what to think. What I do know is that we have a colonel out there who is likely delusional, who knows Atlantis better than any of us, and who can communicate with her. Anything is possible, Chuck."

~~ooOoo~~

_Atlantis had begun to execute her plan. First, she began to interrupt as many systems as possible; the best way she knew to gain their attention. She had also begun to reach into the minds of those who possessed the natural gene, broadcasting the colonel's location over and over. She knew that none of them would be able to hear her, but perhaps, if she placed the thoughts in their consciousness, they would eventually become aware. He was depending on her; she had to make them understand._

~~ooOoo~~

"Isaacs, you're certain that's the building."

"Yes, ma'am; Lieutenant Prior overheard one of the guards, who parked a transport at the guard station, say he had just returned from the 'lab' after taking the prisoners there. He left the station a few minutes later, and my team captured him. The guy gave up the location pretty quickly when he had three P-90's stuck in his face. He swears this is the lab where he took our people."

"Well, if he's wrong, then we have just given ourselves away, captain."

Yes, ma'am; but the guard wasn't lying. Prior said he was way too scared to lie."

"OK, so according to the man your team captured, there should be six guards and about eight scientists inside."

Isaacs nodded, "Yes, major."

"Piece of cake."

Teldy turned around to look at her teammate, Sergeant Dusty Mehra. "Sergeant; we'll see if you still feel that way after we get our people out." She stood up, tapping her COM. "Heads up everyone, we're going in," and headed for the back of the jumper as Captain Waters opened the hatch.

Undercover of darkness, Teldy and the SO's slipped from the cloaked jumpers; quickly rushing to the perimeter of the building. Recon by Isaacs' team identified two entrances and the Atlantian's split into two groups, each heading for an entrance. Once in place, Teldy gave the order to enter.

Sergeant Johnston, one of Lorne's team members, smashed the front door in with a battering ram. Captain Isaacs' team repeated the action on the rear entry. The startled lone guards at the entrances were quickly subdued, and the SO's began to deploy throughout the building.

The short front and back entrance halls intersected a wide corridor that ran the length of the building. The teams spread out through the hallway and began opening doors.

Sgt. Mehra and the two corporals with her, edged closer to a door near the intersection. Leaning against the door, the sergeant could hear shouting and laughter. Mehra kicked open the door to find three Subaran guards sitting a table. They were playing some sort of card game. Glass mugs of an amber colored liquid that smelled alcoholic sat in front of them, probably why they didn't hear the noise when the entry doors were breached. Within seconds, the three guards were lying on the floor trussed and gagged. Mehra tapped her COM.

"Major; three more threats eliminated. We're proceeding down the corridor."

"Acknowledged, Mehra."

Sergeant Johnston was scouting a few yards ahead of Teldy. He tried to open the next door, "Major; this door is locked, first locked door we've found.

Teldy slipped up behind him, "Let's get that door open, sergeant."

Without hesitation, the six-foot five Marine broke the door down, and Teldy and Johnston entered the room. They had found the hostages, a bit shaken from the abrupt entry, but unharmed.

"Doctors, how are you?"

"We're fine, major but they've taken Lorne to a lab. We have to find him quickly."

"We'll find him. Prior, Yasser; take the doctors to the jumper."

Beckett grabbed Terdarin, "You're coming, too."

As the Marines took Beckett, Zelenka, and Terdarin to the safety of the jumpers, Teldy motioned for the teams to move on. A shout from the other end of the hall sent them running.

When Teldy reached the large room at the end, she discovered an unconscious guard lying on the floor. Eight frightened men and women, dressed in grey scrub-like attire, huddled against a wall, an SO holding a P-90 on them. On a Gurney in the center of the room, Major Lorne was lying, apparently sedated.

Mehra, who was in the process of restraining the guard, smiled at Teldy, "Piece of cake, major."

Teldy grinned, shaking her head, and activated her radio, "Prior, bring Dr. Beckett back in here, now." She turned to Sergeant Johnston, "Take this guard to the room where the others are being held. Then to the others, "Green, Wang, get the rest of these people to the jumpers. Mehra, take the others, sweep the rest of the building. If you locate any more of these techs, take them, too. Move."

Beckett rushed into the room, and immediately began examining Lorne. "Bring a stretcher; let's get him out of here."

~~ooOoo~~

The crowded jumpers had arrived back on Atlantis twenty minutes before. Woolsey met up with Major Teldy in the infirmary.

"Major; good job; what do we have here?"

"Thank you, sir. Dr. Keller is examining Major Lorne; he apparently was given a dose of the drug that was given to Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay. Dr. Beckett is with Proffer Terdarin, who originally designed the drug; there is an antidote. The proffer is helping Dr. Beckett synthesize it."

"That's good news, major; and good thinking to bring the entire team of scientists back to Atlantis. This prevents Chief Larp from continuing the work."

"Yes, sir; Dr. Beckett identified the vials containing the drug. I decided to bring everything we could, including the computer core. I believe we have shut them down, at least for now."

"Major, I am going to contact the Pegasus Coalition Council to notify them of this situation. It's the council's decision as how to proceed with Chief Larp. I will need you to make a report."

"No problem, sir; in the meantime, we'd like to rejoin the search for Colonel Sheppard."

The Atlantis director approved. As Teldy and her team waited to finish their post-mission examinations before they joined in the search, Woolsey radioed Chuck. The communications system was down once again. Cursing he waited a couple of minutes, and then tried again, this time getting through to Chuck. "Contact Chairman Dimas of the Coalition for me, tell him I need to arrange a time to discuss the situation on Subara."

~~ooOoo~~

_She had their attention. She sensed their probes, the diagnostics that ran on her systems, coursing through her. Now she had to begin to direct them where she needed them to come. Where he was waiting, before time ran out for him. She had to hurry._

~~ooOoo~~

Sunlight spilled into the gate room through the stained glass windows, causing patterns of light and shadows to dance across the tiled floor. Richard Woolsey hadn't noticed, although he was standing at the railing staring at the floor below him. He was concentrating on the jumble of voices behind him. The engineers and technicians were dealing with the malfunctions that continued across Atlantis. It took a second for him to realize that Dr. Zelenka's voice was reaching out to him through the din.

"Mr. Woolsey," Zelenka repeated.

"Yes, doctor, sorry, what is it?"

"Sir, there seems to be a shift in the locations of the malfunctions. There are fewer occurrences in the south or southwest sections of the city. Most of the anomalies are occurring on in the other areas now."

"Do you know why or what that means?" In response, Zelenka simply shrugged his shoulders, indicating no. Woolsey replied, "Keep at it."

His earwig cackled, "Mr. Woolsey, Dr. Beckett, could you come to the infirmary?"

"I'll be right there, doctor."

When Woolsey walked into the infirmary, the first thing he noticed was Major Lorne awake and sitting up. He headed toward the major's bed.

"Major, how are you?"

"Good sir, bit of a headache, but it's easing up. Dr. Beckett said they got the antidote for the Subaran compound in me pretty quick. He and Proffer Terdarin assured me that I won't develop any symptoms."

"That's good news, major. Have they administered the antidote to Dr. McKay?"

"I think so, sir. Mr. Woolsey, can you get Beckett to let me out of here? I need to help find Colonel Sheppard."

"You're not going anywhere, major." The answer came from Beckett as he approached them. "There are a lot of people looking for the colonel. You need to rest." Lorne looked decidedly unhappy.

Beckett gave a sympathetic smile to Lorne, and motioned for Woolsey to follow him, "As you can see from the major's condition, Terdarin prepared the antidote. Fortunately, it's a relatively simple formula. We've administered the first dose to Rodney, and will be giving him another dose in about fifteen minutes. We're already beginning to see positive changes in Rodney's brain chemistry. I believe he's going to be alright, but we have to wait and see."

They had arrived at Rodney's bedside, where Terdarin was standing watch over the monitor displaying Rodney's neural activity. He looked around as the two men walked up, "He's doing better."

Beckett patted Terdarin on the shoulder, "Thanks to you. Proffer Terdarin, this is Richard Woolsey, executive director of Atlantis."

"Proffer, thank you for your help. Dr. McKay is very valuable to us, both as a friend and as a member of the Atlantis expedition."

"Director Woolsey, I am sorry for what has happened. We developed the drug to combat the Wraith. When we realized that the Wraith were no longer a threat, we became worried that the drug could be used for other purposes. When the government came to confiscate the drug, we were happy to have it off our hands. My colleague, Viab Orsoneri, and I had no idea that Chief Larp would use it against those who offered to be our ally. I was rude to Dr. McKay for fear that he might discover that we were capable of making such a drug. I must apologize to him."

Beckett's pensive expression told Woolsey the doctor was thinking about the Wraith serum that he had developed and how that drug impacted Atlantis and Pegasus. Woolsey spoke quietly, "Terdarin; we all do things for good reasons that sometimes have dire consequences. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have tried." He noticed the almost imperceptible nod from Beckett.

Woolsey cleared his throat, "You should know that I have spoken with Chairman Dimas of the Pegasus Coalition. He was most disturbed when I informed him about what has been going on. Once we've located Colonel Sheppard, you and Orsoneri will accompany me to Latira. The council would like to question you regarding this situation. Understand you and your colleague are not in trouble for developing the drug. The council is more concerned about what Larp wanted to use the drug for. He will at the least be facing charges for attempting to harm Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard, who were there acting on behalf of the coalition."

"Viab; is he in danger?"

"Don't worry; I sent a team to secure him. Lieutenant Salem radioed that they have located him, and he's safe. They will be returning to Atlantis shortly."

"Thank you."

"No word about John yet?" Beckett asked, as he and Woolsey walked away.

"Nothing, I'm becoming quite concerned, and now with all the malfunctions, I'm worried about his state of mind."

"You think he's causing the power outages and all the other things?"

"I can only speculate."

"You know, something's nagging at me, like I know something, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Something, what kind of something, something about the colonel?" Woolsey asked.

"I…I…uh…don't know; just an uneasy feeling like I have forgotten something."

"If you figure it out, let me know. Right now, I am going to return to the control room, keep me informed about Dr. McKay."

~~ooOoo~~

_Atlantis sensed the return of the ones with the strong gene. She immediately began to project Sheppard's location into their minds. Aware they would not be able to comprehend her thoughts; she only hoped to nudge them to her goal, finding Colonel Sheppard. _

_She had begun the process of channeling the ones who searched for him into the northeast section of the city. She was aware she was racing against time. He had not awakened since that brief moment, over an hour before. His breathing was still quite shallow, but she could not determine any critical drop in his condition. His temperature was low, but she couldn't help him. Atlantis had attempted to raise the ambient temperature in the area, but she was unable to due to the power conduits. She knew that her actions had to be demonstrative, clear, or they would not understand. She had to make them understand._

~~ooOoo~~

"I don't want to stop searching; go ahead, I'm staying here."

Ronon had stopped following Teyla and the three Marine's with her, standing his ground in the corridor. Teyla took a deep breath before she spun around to face him.

"Ronon, we have been searching for nearly twelve hours with only a couple of short breaks. I need to eat and so do you. We also need to check on Dr. McKay; Mr. Woolsey says he could regain consciousness anytime now. We should be there, to assure him we are all looking for the colonel. Now come on, let's go get something to eat and rest. We will come back to continue to search in a short time." She turned and began walking away; Ronon knew better than to argue and followed.

The Marines left them at the mess hall, joining a table of other Marines, who were on a break from searching. Teldy and Waters had conferred with Lorne and had decided that they needed to rest the teams. The teams, however, had objected and short of mutiny, Lorne ordered them to at least, break for food and fluids. Most rushed through their break time and returned to the search.

As Ronon piled his tray with food, Teyla spotted Zelenka and wound her way through the tables toward the scientist. Zelenka was absently eating a sandwich and staring at his pad. He didn't look up as Teyla sat down.

"Radek, any word about Rodney?"

The Czech scientist looked up startled, "Cože...? Oh…uh…Teyla..." He blew out a puff of air, "I was concentrating…we are missing something. I know it. I just do not know what."

"This is most disturbing. The city is so large. We have been searching for hours, and we have covered only a small portion. How are we going to find him without some sort of clue?"

"I know…but we cannot even use his transponder chip to find him. It is not working. It is either damaged, or he removed it, or…"

"No, the colonel is hiding or he is hurt. I refused to believe anything else." Teyla sipped her Athosian tea to avoid saying more.

Ronon joined them, "Tell me you have something, a place for us to concentrate the search."

Zelenka looked at Ronon, "No; we don't. We thought he might be causing the malfunctions, but the power fluctuations and the other crazy things that were happening stopped abruptly about fifteen minutes ago. We have no idea why."

Teyla asked, "Dr. McKay; how is he?"

"Oh, yes, yes, you asked; he regained consciousness briefly, then went to sleep. Dr. Keller said it was probably because he was exhausted from what his body was going through. They are letting him sleep."

"You said you thought we were missing something? What do you think that is, Radek?"

Zelenka leaned back in his chair, "I just have this nagging feeling that there is a piece of information that I should remember. I cannot figure out what. I…" He stopped as a loud claxon began to sound. "Co to kurva? It is the self-distruct alarm; I must go." He ran from the mess, with Ronon and Teyla on his heels.

Zelenka headed for the transporter, but the doors were slamming open and shut at an alarming rate. He turned for the stairway, when the transporter doors opened and stayed open. Teyla yelled for Ronon to grab him, while she entered the transporter. Ronon, dragging Zelenka by the arm, rushed on behind her, as she tapped the directory map for the gate room.

Twice on the way, the transporter stopped. The first time the door opened, they were in the building housing the control chair. Teyla tapped the screen again, and they were back at the base of the tower. Another tap and they were in the corridor outside the gate room. Quickly, the three exited the transporter, to find chaos in the gate room and the control tower.

The gate was dialing, then it stopped, then it started dialing again, all in the span of a couple of minutes. The lights were flickering constantly, and the self-distruct alarm was blaring, then would stop, then would start again. They raced up the stairs to the control room, where the console lights were flashing rapidly. Electrical sparks were flying from the interfaces between the Ancient equipment and the expedition computers. Chuck was yelling for everyone to shut down their systems when all the anomalies abruptly stopped. The silence hung over the room as the reverberations from the alarm faded.

Woolsey turned to Zelenka,"Radek, what the hell is going on? Is Sheppard causing this?"

Zelenka rushed to the engineering station, pulling up a power schematic of the city. "I do not know. Let me look."

The engineering tech on duty, Eva Mason, was viewing the schematic along with Zelenka when a series of power spikes began to appear. They originated from the tower and fanned out to the outer rim of northeast section. The spikes faded out, then appeared again following the same path."

Woolsey was standing next to Zelenka, "What does that mean?" Zelenka threw up his hands in reply, he didn't know.

Eva had a puzzled look on her face, "Dr. Zelenka; that's the area where we had several faint but random power readings yesterday, but the power conduits are broken. We can't be registering power in that area; there isn't any. The sensors must be malfunctioning."

Zelenka stared at her for a second, then blurted out, "That is what I have been trying to remember, those readings, I was tracking them. They started in the northeast section, there were two near the stardrive engine room, then returned to the northeast. That could mean that…."

He didn't finish his thought for Dr. Beckett and Major Lorne came running from Woolsey's office. They had using the rear transporter from the infirmary. They ran straight to the engineering console.

Beckett was breathless. "I don't know why, but the major and I both have a feeling that Colonel Sheppard is in the…."

"Northeast section…" Zelenka finished their sentence.

Lorne appeared confused, but nodded, "Yeah, I can't get that out of my head."

Woolsey tapped his COM, "Major Teldy, converge all searches to the northeast section. We believe the colonel could be there."

~~ooOoo~~

Corporals Paul Brenner and Ramon Rodriguez had been searching for Colonel Sheppard nearly non-stop since the first teams were deployed. The corporals, members of Captain Stackhouse's team, had been on several missions with Colonel Sheppard. The two young men had become quite attached to their CO, as he had to them. The corporals made a pact with each other when the search began, they were not going to stop until the colonel was found, safe.

They were already searching in the northeast section, when Captain Stackhouse ordered them, along with several other teams, to descend to the lowest level and work their way up to the surface level. Teams had been distributed throughout the section as evenly as possible, and more teams were being redirected. The area where the corporals were searching was treacherous. A considerable amount of debris was scattered everywhere; the air cold, damp, and musty.

"Hey, broki, what's that slogan, "Join the Navy and see the world?"

Brenner laughed, "Yeah, Ray; that's the slogan."

"Well, it sucks. This certainly ain't much to see."

"You got tha…" Brenner stumbled over a large piece that had been broken off a piece of furniture, "Crap, this place sucks. What the hell would the colonel be doing down here?"

"Got me, Paulie, but if he is, we gotta find him."

"I hear ya."

Their COM's burst into static, then Dr. Zelenka's voice floated into their ears. "Heads up, corporals. The energy bursts are beginning to focus on your area."

"Understood, doctor," Brenner answered.

While the corporals made their way cautiously through the debris, the control room was quiet. It was as if everyone was collectively holding their breath, waiting for the next power surge. Lorne and Beckett were sitting next to Zelenka, watching the trail of energy spikes flowing like beacons. The pattern was reducing, narrowing to a small area on the lowest level of Atlantis.

Woolsey was standing behind them, arms crossed, a contemplative look on his face. "Atlantis is doing this, isn't she?"

"Yes, I believe Atlantis is trying to lead us to the colonel," Zelenka replied.

Beckett, his voice quiet, added, "If she is, then he's in trouble."

"Yes, doctor, I'm afraid you are correct."

Zelenka gave Woolsey a soft smile, "Atlantis is clever. She first created all of the malfunctions to get us to pay attention, then she began to narrow the focus, pulling us into the area, she wants us to concentrate in. I believe, without a doubt, the colonel has to be on the lower levels of this section."

The Czech scientist pointed to the screen, "See, she is beginning to shorten the pathway….now only from the mid-point, it is as if she is drawing an arrow to where she wants us to go."

Before anyone could comment, their COM's activated. Dr. Keller's excited voice erupted in their ears, "Mr. Woolsey, Rodney just woke up abruptly. He keeps telling me to look in the container storage chamber."

Woolsey responded, "Container storage; did he say anything else?"

Keller hesitated, "Yes, he keeps repeating, 'hurry'."

Lorne immediately contacted Teldy, "Anne, Dr. McKay just told us to look in a container storage chamber. The power spikes are focusing in the lowest level, grid NE743; start concentrating the search in that area."

Teldy replied, "Understood, major."

Beckett looked at Woolsey, "We need to get a medical team in there."

Woolsey nodded looking at Chuck without having to verbalize his order. Chuck was already directing an EMT team to the area.

The Atlantians exchanged glances, but remained silent. They knew there was nothing more they could do.

~~ooOoo~~

"Ray, you OK?"

Rodriguez had just taken a header over a large pipe that was lying across the corridor. He struggled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his hip from striking the pipe when he fell.

"Who put this fucking pile of shit here?" He calmed down, "Yeah; I'm OK." He pulled his canteen off his belt, taking a drink before he continued.

"Paulie, we gotta think smart here. We're talking about Colonel Sheppard. He's smart and cunning; we have to try to think like he would. If he's delusional like Dr. McKay was, he thinks the bad guys are after him. He's gonna try to find a place where he can hide and defend himself. We have to look for places like that. So far, the rooms we have searched have been empty or blocked by junk, and we can't get through the doorway. We need to figure out what he would do."

The two corporals continued down the corridor for another five minutes before it dead-ended at a longer cross-corridor. The hall stretched far past the capability of their P-90 lights and the powerful flashlights they carried.

"I think we should split up. We can check each direction for a bit before we decide which way to go for certain." Brenner offered.

"Yeah, but don't go too far. This place is really dangerous." Rodriguez patted Brenner on the shoulder, and the two men headed off in opposite directions.

Only a few moments passed before Brenner called out, "Ray, I found fresh blood, get down here."

Rodriguez rushed to where Brenner was standing. He knelt down to examine the sharp metal pieces that were covered with streaks of blood. He pulled his glove off and touched a smear of dark red. "Yep, still tacky…this is not more than a few hours old; it wouldn't dry as fast in this damp, cold air." He tapped his COM.

"Captain Stackhouse, Rodriguez; we just found blood in a corridor in NE743-01B. I'm marking with an emergency light-stick. Blood's been here for a while, but still tacky. We're gonna continue down the corridor."

"Understood, corporal; we're marking your location."

After Stackhouse's reply, Brenner and Rodriguez heard a flurry of traffic on the com as Lorne and Teldy began to direct more resources to their location, along with the EMT team. They continued down the corridor, checking every door and room behind it. Rodriguez came across a partially opened door, with barely enough room to slide through. He pushed on the door; it wouldn't budge.

"Paulie, if I were the colonel; I'd find a place that would look unlikely to hide in. Places like this where the door is jammed nearly closed; not everyone could get through this space."

"Not much room there, Ray."

"Yeah, I know. But we're talking about a wiry colonel not a monster like Sergeant Johnston. It's at least worth a look." He dropped his pack, and slipped his own slender upper frame through the narrow space, shining the big flashlight around.

"Hey, I found something," his light caught a glint of something shiny. Leaning into the room a bit more, he focused the light on the area, and realized that he was seeing metal connectors on a rucksack.

"There's a rucksack caught on something; I gotta get a closer look."

He started to slip through the space completely, sliding his leg through the opening. As he placed his foot down, he realized there was nothing but air under his foot.

"Mierda…"

"Ray?" Brenner grabbed Rodriguez by the arm as he saw his friend pitch forward, pulling him back into the corridor.

"The floor has broken away; hold on." He knelt down outside the doorway, peering through. "Madre de Dios, this break is fresh; the metal core is shiny, hasn't oxidized. Paulie, you think the colonel might have gone through here and fallen?"

"I don't know, but I think you're right. The colonel would have looked for an unlikely hiding place. He could have done just that."

We gotta get down there; you got any rope?"

Brenner smiled, "Are you kidding, former Eagle Scout here…" Pulling his backpack off, he dug in a large side pocket, coming up with a twenty-five foot coil of thin nylon rope. "Here."

Rodriguez smiled, "Wouldn't know what to do without you, broki."

Brenner tied the rope to a piece of railing that was secured to the corridor wall. Rodriguez looped the rope around his waist in a repelling knot, and carefully slipped through the opening. Brenner kept tension on the rope as Rodriguez lowered himself into the chamber. He had descended about five feet when he twisted, turning the light to shine below him. What he saw caused his blood to run cold.

"Paulie, it's the colonel. He's…he's…oh, Madre de Dios, Paulie, he has a piece of metal through his side."

"Is he alive?"

"I can see his chest move slightly, but he's unconscious. You gotta get help, now."

Rodriguez carefully dropped the remaining few feet to the chamber floor, avoiding the other exposed flooring brackets. He checked the colonel's pulse, and found it weak and thready, but there. Breathing a bit easier himself, he leaned down and whispered, "Its Paulie and me, sir; looks like we keep making a habit of rescuing you. You're gonna be fine, colonel; we'll make sure of it."

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One more chapter to go...I hope you enjoyed Chapter Four. I'd love to hear from you!

Chapter Five will be posted tomorrow.


	5. Atlantis Waits

**Title: ****Murmurs**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **K+

**Genre(s): **Action/Adventure, Friendship, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, and of course, Whump

**Warnings: **Language, serious injury

**Spoilers: **Story set post-Season Five

**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters

**Word Count: **Chapter 5: 5,383

**Summary: **Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

This is the final chapter. Again, my thanks to **Hotshow** for a wonderful story idea and for allowing me to write it. It was a pleasure.

**

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* * *

Murmurs

_By stella_pegasi_

**Part Five Atlantis Waits**

_As Atlantis watched the young corporal attending to the colonel, she was cognizant of the forces mobilized to come to his aide. Their voices full of the excitement of finding him, intermixed with the fear of how seriously he was injured. She observed as his people took care of him. She had done what she needed to do, she had led them to him. _

_Now, she waits._

~~ooOoo~~

Illumination from powerful floodlights and the noisy roar of chain saws cutting up debris reached Brenner's, Captain Stackhouse, and Sergeant Grayhorse. The captain and sergeant had arrived at the site from the opposite direction moments before. The captain sent Grayhorse to check on the rescuers' progress.

Stackhouse peered through the narrow opening. "How the hell did he get down there?"

"Ray thinks he stepped onto the top of a metal staircase that led down a level. The metal grate gave way, and he fell. Apparently, there are many large containers stored in the chamber. Ray says the containers are scattered about, and they must have slammed into the staircase, weakening it. The colonel's hurt really badly, captain." Pain and fear were evident in Brenner's eyes; yet, he was calm and in control.

Stackhouse remembered being as young as Brenner, and being in awe of Sheppard. He laughed at himself; he should admit he was still in awe of Sheppard. "Listen, we've got the best docs in two galaxies; they'll get him through this, corporal."

Brenner smiled softly, "Yes, sir; I believe that."

The light became extremely bright as the combat engineers turned the corner, coming toward them. Sergeant Grayhorse came ahead, escorting Dr. Beckett, who was beside him.

Stackhouse greeted him, "Hey, doc; glad to see you."

Beckett nodded, then quickly asked, "Where is he?"

Brenner pointed through the narrow opening, a faint stream of light from Rodriguez's lamp emerging only to be lost in the brighter light of the floodlights. "He's down there; Ray's with him. Doctor; it's really cramped in the area where he fell. You might want to let some of us go down first. We need to clear debris out of the way before you can help him."

"No, I'm going down now. Major Teldy, get me down there." Teldy and the remainder of the EMT's, search and rescue Marines, and combat engineers had arrived.

Teldy looked over at Stackhouse, whose nearly imperceptible nod toward Brenner was observed by the astute major. "Doctor, let's dropped Corporal Brenner down first, he can carry your medpack, and one of the lights. Then we'll lower you down, followed by a CE to assess what we need to do to get the colonel out of there."

Beckett nodded in acknowledgement, and two members of the Marine search and rescue team rigged a harness to lower Brenner into the chamber. While they were helping him into the harness, two CE's checked out the doorway. They called for a hydrolytic-jack; bracing it between the edge of the door and the doorframe. Within a couple of minutes, the opening was nearly the full door width. After they moved their equipment out of the way, the SAR's moved the tripod brace for the lift in front of the doorway and extended the long arm through the door. Brenner, slipped the medpack on his back, and a CE handed him a floodlight. The SAR's hooked his harness to the steel cable extending from the arm and lowered him into the chamber.

Brenner felt Rodriguez grab his feet as he got closer, helping to direct him away from the sharp broken floor brackets. As soon as he was on firm ground, he released the cable. The SAR's winched the cable back up, in order to lower Beckett.

Brenner extended the tripod legs of the battery operated portable floodlight and switched it on. He gasped when he saw Colonel Sheppard.

"Oh my god, Ray; are you sure he's alive?"

"Yeah, broki, he's alive, but he's hurt, really hurt. I did what I could, but I…"

"The doc's on his way down. He can help him."

Beckett arrived within minutes, and after Brenner unhooked him from the cable, he knelt by Sheppard. One look at the colonel caused him to gasp sharply. "Oh, laddie, what have you done to yourself?"

He quickly assessed Sheppard's injuries, carefully inspecting the wound around the metal stake protruding from his side. Beckett inserted an IV port into the colonel's forearm, cussing as he missed on the first try. Sheppard's blood pressure was very low, making it difficult to find a vein. He reached for his medpack, only to realize that Rodriguez had retrieved the solution bag. The corporal had added the tubing so that the bag was ready to be connected to the port.

"Thanks." He connected the IV while Rodriguez held the bag. Beckett then sat back on his heels.

"Corporal, you did well here; getting his feet elevated and placing your TAC vest under his head was a good thing. In addition, getting that emergency blanket over him but not tightening it was smart. Right now, he could use a bit of body warmth, but being cold has probably kept him alive."

Brenner chuckled, "Be careful, Doctor Beckett; you're gonna give Corporal Ramon Rodriguez a bigger ego than he already has."

Rodriguez threw a snarky, but friendly, smile toward his friend, then spoke to Beckett, "Don't thank me, sir; thank my grandmother. She's a nurse and when I decided to join the Marines, she made me take an EMT course; figured I'd need it. She must have had a premonition that I'd be serving with the colonel."

"Yeah, we all need extra training for this man. Both you lads have done well. You seem to be around the colonel needs you the most." Beckett began to wipe the caked blood from Sheppard's hands; then he removed the bandage covering the deep cut on his arm. Over the next few minutes, with the corporals' assistance, he cleaned and dressed the wounds.

The combat engineer descended to begin the initial planning on the best way to remove Sheppard. While he was surveying the area, they heard raised voices from the corridor. Beckett shook his head and remarked to no one, in particular, "Ronon; I hope they realize not to get in between John and his teammates."

In the corridor, Major Teldy and Teyla were trying to calm Ronon down. Teldy was only requesting that he wait until the CE's had an opportunity to determine what they needed to do. Ronon insisted he was going to Sheppard, now.

"Ronon, Corporal Brenner said that there isn't much room down there. The large containers that were stored there have broken loose, likely from flooding. They are crowded up against the platform. As soon as we know what we are dealing with, you can go down."

"I'm going now." Ronon was looming over Teldy, who didn't appear the least bit intimidated.

She replied, "Please just…"

"I can help move stuff; I am going down there."

Teldy sighed, a look of resignation on her face, "Get him in a harness."

Teyla slid around a SAR to stand next to Teldy and quietly said, "Wise choice."

Ronon refused the harness, and began to climb down the cable barehanded. As he disappeared from her sight, Major Teldy sighed, "Lorne told me that I should never try to get between the colonel and his team."

Hearing a noise, Brenner looked up, startled by the sight of the large Satedan looming over him. He hopped out of the way, as Ronon dropped next to him.

"Beckett, how is he?"

The doctor looked up, "Not good; I'm afraid. We need to get him out of here, but we have a problem." Beckett rubbed his forehead, trying to gather his thoughts.

"I canna move him off the metal stake; he'll likely bleed to death before I could treat him. There's no way of knowing what damage has been done. From the location of the wound, I imagine his liver is damaged and his intestines possibly perforated. His labored breathing indicates a punctured lung, probably caused by broken ribs. He has a lump on his head, and I don't know about major vessels…too much could be wrong. He's lying right on the floor, there's no room to get under him to cut him free."

SAR team member, Captain Andy Wilder, had joined them in the tight area and was listening to Beckett's analysis. "Doctor, the first thing we need to do is get more room to work. I'll have them send down an insulated blanket to cover Colonel Sheppard, then we'll get torches in here to cut away these supports and the rest of this metal. Meanwhile, let's get as many of these containers moved away from here. That way we can cut more of this platform away. Jenks," he pointed to the CE, "help Ronon and Brenner start moving those cans."

He turned back to Beckett, "Listen, doc; this is going to take awhile. I mean; we will move as quickly as we can, but do we even have that kind of time?"

Beckett glanced at Sheppard, then at Wilder, "We're running on borrowed time now. We don't have a choice, do we?"

Wilder nodded, "No; we don't. I promise we will work as quickly as we can."

Ronon, Brenner, and Jenks began pushing the large, bulky containers away from the area where the platform had collapsed. The containers were heavy and some appeared to have something stored inside, but they didn't take time to look. Once they had the area free, two more CE's and another SAR joined the others. Using reciprocating saws and chain saws, they began to dismantle the platform. Once they cleared about ten feet of metal away from Sheppard, they began using the saws and torches to cut away the metal braces.

Beckett was huddled under the insulated blanket with Sheppard, both wearing protective ear covers. He was becoming more and more concerned about the colonel's breathing. He wanted to get an oxygen mask on him, but couldn't until the saws and torches had finished. He grabbed Sheppard's hand and whispered, "We'll get you outta here, laddie; I promise."

When they had the area cleared, Wilder pulled the blanket back, and knelt down next to Beckett. "How's he doing?"

"Breathing's a bit more erratic, but about the same otherwise; now, what do we do?"

"You're going to have to tell me, doctor. The only way to get that brace loose is to raise him up; but I don't know what that is going to do to him. We can rig a harness from a stretcher, but getting a stretcher underneath him and keeping him stable is going to be difficult. What do you want to do, doc?"

Beckett stared at the Marine for a moment, then took a deep breath, "Uh...we're gonna have to lift him up. I suppose a stretcher would be the best bet."

Wilder patted Beckett's shoulder and stood up, about to order a stretcher lowered, when Rodriguez spoke. "No, that'll take too long. We can do it." He looked at Brenner and then at Ronon. "We can lift him as far as necessary and hold him steady while they cut the brace." He waited to see what their reaction would be.

Brenner nodded at his friend and Ronon grabbed his shoulder. "We can do that."

Beckett replied very quietly, "You would have to hold him very steady, or he could suffer even greater damage than just moving him slightly will do. Can you do that?"

Brenner gave Beckett a soft smile, "We have to, sir; we can do this for him."

Beckett nodded, and Wilder called for a Stokes basket. He grabbed a reciprocating saw from one of the CE's, replacing the blade. When the basket had been lowered and secured to the side, he told Beckett. "I am going to lie down and get in position to cut that brace loose. You guys get on his left side. Doctor, once I'm in place, you direct the guys in lifting him. I'll yell when I have enough clearance."

Once everyone was in place, Beckett nervously nodded, "OK, start lifting him, really slowly."

Ronon was in the middle; stronger than the corporals, he was going to hold up Sheppard's torso. Brenner was holding Sheppard's legs. Rodriguez was at Sheppard's head; his hands braced flat between the colonel's shoulder blades. The corporal's forearms cradled the colonel's head. On a three-count by Beckett, they began to lift Sheppard off the floor. It felt like an eternity until Wilder yelled stop, and the three men held Sheppard in place.

The grinding noise of the saw filled the chamber, spilling into the hallway. Teyla and Teldy were leaning through the doorway watching, neither seemed to be breathing.

Beckett didn't appear to be taking a breath, either. He was staring at Sheppard's chest watching his respirations. Sheppard's breathing was becoming more erratic. To make things worse, a trickle of fresh blood was trailing from the base of the metal stake that protruded from his side.

At last, Wilder turned off the saw and withdrew, "Done, get that litter over here."

The stretcher was placed next to Sheppard. Ronon and the corporals gently lowered him in the stretcher, rolling him slightly onto his left side provide clearance for the long metal brace. Beckett quickly placed a sterile pad around the wound on his back and stood up. He noticed a pool of blood where Sheppard had laid, a chilling reminder of how serious the colonel's injuries were.

"Let's get him out of here."

Quickly, the stretcher was raised to the open doorway, where the EMT's moved the colonel into the hallway. The cable was dropped again, and Beckett was pulled to the surface. The others climbed out via an emergency ladder that had been dropped to them.

By the time, Ronon and the corporals reached the corridor, they saw Becket and the EMT's almost at the intersection of the main corridor. Ronon took off after them. After a nod from Major Teldy, the corporals followed.

~~ooOoo~~

_Atlantis waited as they did; waited, for word on his condition. The first moments after he arrived in the infirmary were harrowing. The trauma of his rescue was more than his battered body could endure and triggered a cardiac arrest. Before the healer could begin the process of removing the metal brace, they had to revive him twice. She shared in their relief as his heart began to beat once more. _

_She watched over them as he would, while she was also with the healers as they raced to repair him. He was gravely injured and she could feel the worry that permeated the room where they were treating him. She felt helpless. Atlantis knew she had done all that she could. She had led them to him. There was nothing more for her to do._

~~ooOoo~~

"How long is this going to take? They've been in there nearly six hours already." Ronon was sitting on the floor of Rodney's private room in the infirmary.

Teyla was sitting on the foot of the sleeping Rodney's bed, "Ronon, please keep your voice down, and be patient. Dr. Beckett told us that removing the stake and repairing the damage would take time."

"We haven't heard anything since Dr. J came to tell us that his heart had stopped again."

"I know, but they were able to revive him. I believe that no news is good news," she glanced at Lorne, who was sitting in a chair next to Ronon. "That is, if I understand that Earth phrase correctly." She gave the major a slight smile, which he returned.

"Teyla's right; I imagine things are proceeding OK, or Dr. J would have come to tell us,"

Ronon didn't look convinced, but the return of Corporals Rodriguez and Brenner distracted him. On orders from Nursing Director, Marie Cho, the corporals had gone on a food run. They returned with sandwiches, fruit, cupcakes, and drinks. Rodriguez began handing out food, while Brenner held out a mug to Teyla.

"Cookie…uh….Sergeant Gonzalez, thought you might need some Athosian tea about now."

"Ah….thank you, 'Cookie' knows me quite well." She added, "Please save a cupcake for Dr. McKay; should he wake up, he will want one."

Rodriguez replied, "Don't worry, ma'am. We got a couple of extra sandwiches and cupcakes just in case the doctor woke up." He grinned, "We didn't want to have to fight him for our food."

"Just give me sandwich; I'm too tired to fight." A shaky voice replied.

Teyla quickly looked toward the head of the bed. "Rodney, you are awake."

"Yeah, sandwich please. Any word?" He sat up as Rodriguez handed him a sandwich and an apple.

Ronon growled, 'Nothing."

They began to nibble on their food. Twenty minutes passed in relative silence, broken by the arrival of Dr. Julius Jackson, or Dr. J, as he preferred to be called. He had given himself the moniker to keep people from asking if he was _the _Dr. Jackson.

Ronon leapt to his feet, "Doc?"

Dr. J smiled, "They're closing up now, and he should be in recovery shortly. He came through the surgery, as well as we could expect. It was tough, but the colonel continues to be a lucky man. There was not quite as much damage as we feared, but he's still very critical. I'm going to go back, so that I can be with him while Beckett and Keller come out to talk to you. Should be about fifteen minutes." He disappeared through the doorway, leaving them to absorb the news.

Ten minutes later, Woolsey arrived, having heard that Sheppard was out of surgery. He refused the seat offered him by Major Lorne, and stood at the foot of McKay's bed.

"Doctor, good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, just exhausted."

"Good, you just need to rest."

"I'll rest when Sheppard is OK."

Woolsey nodded, "We will all rest easier then. Major, the Coalition council sent word that they would like to see us tomorrow. I want you and Major Teldy to accompany me. I have informed Terdarin and Orsoneri that we'll be going tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir; I…" Lorne was interrupted by Beckett and Keller.

McKay asked nervously, "Jennifer, Carson, is he going to be OK?"

Jennifer sighed, "It's too early to tell, but he is stable at this point. He is exhibiting signs of an infection from the impalement, but it's a common Pegasus pathogen. We have an antibiotic for it, which we feel will clear it up. So, we risked giving him the antidote for the Subaran drug.

Beckett interjected, "We feared that the anesthetic wouldn't work properly if his brain chemistries were messed up. I'm afraid we may have caused the arrest during surgery. However, right now, his heart is stable."

"What about the damage from the stake?" Ronon asked.

Keller sighed, "The stake entered his back, penetrated the liver, severing the hepatic vein, then exited fracturing the seventh and eighth rib. Bone fragments from the ribs punctured his right lung. Once we got the bleeding stopped, which was the first priority, we re-inflated the lung, cleaned out the area and sewed up the damage. He also has a broken left scapula, as well as a moderate concussion. "

Beckett gazed around at the worried faces, "He's not totally out of danger. We have to watch that there is no blood seepage in the liver; but the lung seems fine for now. As Jennifer said, we have to worry about infection, but fortunately, his intestines were not punctured. There is still the question of how his mind is going to be. He got a full dose of the Subaran drug; we'll have to see how that goes."

"Jennifer, can we see him?" Ronon asked quietly.

"Of course, as if I could stop you."

Beckett left first with the others behind. As Jennifer turned to leave, she realized that Rodney was getting out of bed. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to see Sheppard, and you can't stop me."

A little half-grin flashed across her face, "At least put your robe on, so you don't get cold."

Rodney complied, and they followed the others to the recovery room.

Dr. J and Marie, along with two other nurses surrounded the bed. All but Dr. J moved away a bit so that Sheppard's team could see him.

"He's so pale." Teyla said.

Jennifer put her arm around Teyla, "He lost a lot of blood, but we're infusing him now."

Closing in around Sheppard, his team was mindful of the numerous machines surrounding the bed. Seemingly, yards and yards of wires and tubing led to the IV ports and leads attached to him.. After a few moments, Beckett requested they return to Rodney's room. He promised to notify them when Sheppard was moved to the critical care bay. Taking one last look at the man they all cared so much for, they left..

~~ooOoo~~

Rodney McKay was pacing; he had been pacing for thirty minutes without stopping. Even under threat of being stunned with Ronon's blaster, he had continued to pace. Ronon had moved his chair to the foot of Sheppard's bed, confining Rodney to pacing in the narrow space between the bed and the wall. He only stopped when Beckett entered the private room located in the critical care bay.

Carson began to examine Sheppard's wound. The colonel was pale, but fortunately breathing on his own, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. Tubing from several IV bags snaked toward the IV port in his right arm; his left shoulder and arm immobilized due to the broken scapula. Leads attached to his head monitored the activity in his brain.

"When is he going to wake up, Carson? It's been three days. He should be awake by now."

Carson pulled the blanket back over the colonel's chest before he answered.

"Rodney, I told you; John has suffered a major trauma. He has a serious wound in his side, a concussion, a broken shoulder blade, numerous cuts on his hands and arms. Not to mention he received the full dose of the Subaran drug. He was just plain lucky that the metal only damaged a small part of his liver, missing any other major structure, except for the severed vein." He paused, rubbing his eyes, "He was also lucky that it was cold. He was in severe shock, but the cold slowed his metabolism and protected him. The fact that he is even alive is a testament to the man's strength. Any one of us," he glanced over at Ronon, "with the possible exception of Ronon here, would be dead if we had suffered these injuries. You are going to have to give him time."

Teyla, who was curled up in a chair in the corner, asked, "Dr. Beckett, is his mind clearing?"

Beckett rubbed the back of his neck, and sighed, "There has been good improvement in the last few hours. I have to tell ya, lassie, I was concerned the first forty-eight hours. However, he is doing much better now. I think he's turned the corner, but I say that with a bit of reservation. He went much longer than Rodney did without the antidote, and he was gravely injured. Rodney is still exhibiting agitation as a side effect of the drug…"

"How can you tell from how he is all the time?" Ronon growled, interrupting Beckett.

Rodney snarked, "Oh yeah, make fun of me…"

Beckett shook his head, "As I was saying, Rodney is still showing side effects, time will tell how well John does. I tell you; those moments spent cutting the metal brace away, with him being held up off the floor felt like an eternity. I didn't know how much damaged we were doing to him."

"It was the only way, doc. He was flush with the floor; you said you couldn't move him off that spike 'till you got him in surgery, or he'd die. We didn't have a choice." Ronon said.

Beckett's eyes grew distant as he reflected on the rescue. He looked over at Ronon, "How you and Rodriguez and Brenner held him steady is nothing short of a miracle, Ronon."

Teyla smiled, her eyes misty, "Those young corporals idolize John. They were not going to allow him to die any more than Ronon was."

It was Beckett's turn to smile, his eyes also misty. "Aye, Teyla; Colonel Sheppard does seem to bring out the courageous side in all of us."

He turned to Rodney, "You need more rest. Woolsey and Lorne just returned from Latira City with Terdarin and Orsoneri. I am going to meet with them now to discuss the colonel's brain chemistries and yours. I think you might need a bit of a booster shot of the antidote. I'll let you know."

Ronon asked, "Do you know what the Coalition decided to do about Larp?"

"Woolsey came back with an arrest warrant for Chief Larp and any others that are identified as accomplices. Lorne is sending Teldy to execute the warrant and take the bastard into custody."

Ronon laughed, "Now that I would like to see."

~~ooOoo~~

Twenty-fours later, Sheppard felt her floating in his thoughts. He reached out to her, "Atlantis?"

_"I am here, colonel. It is good to communicate with you."_

"What happened?" He was becoming aware of vague, but familiar sounds, the steady chirping of monitoring equipment in the infirmary. "Oh, I'm in the infirmary. Why am I not surprised?"

_"Yes, you are in the infirmary. You were badly injured in a fall, but you are going to be fine. Doctors Keller and Beckett have assured your colleagues, who are, as always, at your side, that you will make a full recovery."_

He searched his memory for what had occurred, "I was in the deserted sections of Atlantis. There were all these thoughts in my head, murmuring that someone was after me. They are going to harm you and everyone; I have to warn them." He was becoming agitated.

_"John, be calm. No one is going to harm your friends or me; you must believe me. Do you remember visiting Subara?" _

He hesitated for a moment as he struggled to remember, "Yes."

_"You and Dr. McKay were given a drug; it caused you to suffer from hallucinations. The drug convinced you that someone was trying to harm all of us. However, your colleagues uncovered the plot, and were able to secure an antidote."_

"McKay, is he OK?" Again, his anxiety level rose with fear for his friend.

_"Yes, he is fine; do not worry. Everyone is fine now."_

"I remember; I hid. I wanted to draw them away from everyone. And I was trying to find the key. The key; the key to what? I don't remember. Do you know?"_  
_

_"No, I do not know. I believe the key is something you imagined, colonel. I also believe that your friends are anxious to talk with you. Relax and allow yourself to wake up. I will be here."_

"You always are with me; thank you. You helped them find me didn't you?"

_"I only led them to you; they saved you. Now, colonel, relax and wake up. Your friends are waiting."_

Sheppard allowed his thoughts to slip away and relax as Atlantis had requested. He began to hear voices, voices that were not in his head. First, a quiet soothing voice who had to be Teyla's, then a deep voice with a humorous, taunting tone; in reply, a high pitched whine. Rodney was being picked on again, which was everyone's favorite sport; time he joined in.

"Rodney, s-stop whining." He rubbed his nose; a nose cannula delivering oxygen was causing his nose to itch.

"That's easy for you to sa…Sheppard, you're awake." Rodney jumped up and rushed to Sheppard's bedside, quickly joined by Teyla and Ronon.

"John, welcome back. How are you feeling?"

"I'm f-fine."

Rodney smiled, "Typical; you get drugged, impaled, banged up, and still you claim you're fine. You're hopeless."

"I will go get Carson and Jennifer, they will want to know you are awake." Teyla said.

"Carson?" From the dredges of his memory, after hearing Carson's name, Sheppard remembered that he had taken the ATA treatments from the infirmary. "He hasn't s-said he's missing anything, h-has he?" Sheppard asked anxiously.

She looked at Sheppard, somewhat confused, "I have not heard him mention missing anything. Why do you ask, colonel?"

"No, no…it's n-nothing." He was going to have to send Ronon to recover the serum. That was, as soon as he could remember where he stashed it.

Still looking a bit puzzled, Teyla went to get Carson and Jennifer. She left Ronon and Rodney to look after Sheppard.

Sheppard attempted to reach for the glass of water sitting on the bedside table, but Rodney smacked his hand and picked up the glass. With Rodney holding onto the straw, Sheppard took a couple of sips. The small effort exhausted Sheppard, which was noticed by Rodney.

"Yeah…you're fine; don't lie to me, I always know."

"I'm, I'm…a little tired."

Rodney sat down next to the bed. "Yeah, well, part of that is from the Subaran drug; I'm still tired. It will take time, with all your other injuries; you'll be out of commission for a while."

Beckett and Teyla walked in, "Well, Rodney's right; you are going to be down for the count a while, laddie. Now let me check you out."

Ten minutes later, Beckett asked, "Are you hungry?"

Sheppard sighed, "Yeah…a little…"

"I'll have some broth and jello brought to you."

"I'm hungry." Rodney whined.

"Rodney, really; I'll have food sent for all of you." Beckett exchanged smiles with Teyla and left.

"T-Tell me w-what happened, Rodney got this drug, t-too?"

For the next hour, Sheppard listened as his team filled him in on the events of the past several days. When the food arrived, Teyla fed him; with IV's in one arm and the other in a sling, he couldn't manage on his own.

When they had caught him up on the events, Sheppard asked, "I-I want to see Isaacs, Rodriguez, and Brenner. Get them here for me."

"Not now, John; tomorrow if you are up to it." Teyla replied.

"Let me g-get this straight. Rodney hid in a pile of rocks, along a stream?" Teyla nodded, and Sheppard continued, "W-well, at least I hid in Atlantis."

"Yeah, flyboy, and you nearly got yourself killed, and what was it with the 'I'm going with you...no, I'm going with you' routine? You lied to us."

"Rodney; John was under the influence of the same drug as you were. You just happened to go off-world." Teyla flashed a not-so-amused look toward Rodney.

"Well, he still fooled us."

Sheppard grinned a bit, then grimaced as he tried to move, "You're j-just jealous because I out-smarted you."

Ronon laughed, "Got you there, McKay."

"Boys, enough," Teyla admonished, trying to suppress a smile.

Rodney rolled his eyes, "Well, at least one thing is for certain, Sheppard. We're going to have to tie a cowbell around your neck. That way you can't hide from us again."

Ronon and Teyla both began picking on Rodney for his suggestion. None of them realized that Sheppard had fallen asleep, a contented smile on his face.

~~ooOoo~~

_Atlantis watched over him as he slept, his friends nearby. However, she was troubled, for she had been less than truthful with him. He had asked her about the key he had searched for, and she had informed him the key was a figment of his imagination. She lied._

_The 'key' existed. The fact that he was aware, even subconsciously, of that fact meant he had developed abilities past what she had assumed. However, he had much to learn before he possessed the key. He would first need to recognize his capabilities and, until she reached full ZPM power, she would be unable to assist him in reaching his potential._

_However, that situation would change soon enough; she must be patient. The most important concern, for the moment, was that he was safe. The key could wait, and so could she._

_The end..._

* * *

The original story idea from **Hotshow** was for Sheppard to become gravely injured in a part of the city where no one, but Atlantis realized he was hurt. Atlantis had to figure how to get help to Sheppard. I used that as the core of the story and wrote the other plot around it. **Hotshow**, I hope you have enjoyed this story, as much as I enjoyed having you as a muse.

To all of you who read this story, thank you so much for taking time to do so. I also would like to thank those who commented. Comments are always appreciated; I would love to hear from you now that the story is complete.

Thanks again to all!


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